• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Department of Health (DOH) continues to exert efforts to hasten the release of the Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) for health workers who served during the COVID-19 pandemic in Negros Occidental, Undersecretary Mary Ann Maestral said on Monday (Dec. 16).
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) owes P202.8 million in HEA to those assigned in the nine Capitol-managed hospitals in Negros Occidental.
The unclaimed HEA covers the periods from August to December 2021, and January to July 2023.
Maestral said that the finance officer of the DOH is still in talks with the DBM to release the budget for the health frontliners.
Budget Undersecretary Goddes Hope Libiran, in her Facebook account, said that the DBM does not owe anything anymore to all frontliners that served during the onslaught of the pandemic that lasted for two years.
This is not just the HEA, but also other budget items of the DOH, Maestral said.
As stipulated in the provisions of Republic Act 11712, health workers assigned in high risk medical facilities, such as Cadiz District Hospital, which was designated as the COVID-19 hospital in Negros Occidental, are entitled to receive P9,000 HEA for every month, P6,000 for medium risk areas, and P3,000 for low risk areas. | GB
