THE Department of Health (DOH) will need to shell out P13 billion to grant the request for additional meal, transportation and accommodation allowances being requested by health- care workers (HCW), according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
It’s an expense, DBM Officer-In-Charge Tina Rose Marie Canda said, the DOH is unlikely to afford for now.
In an online press briefing last Wednesday, Canda said she was already approached by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on how to finance the requested allowances.
“The [fund] requirement for this purpose is something like P13 billion. So it will be hard to accommodate it within the budget of DOH,” Canda said in an online press
briefing on Wednesday.
She noted the Office of the President approved the release of meal, accommodation and transportation allowance for qualified HCWs.
“But the said claims are currently too high,” Canda said
HCWs have been demanding for the release of their mandated special risk allowance (SRA) as well as additional benefits as compensation for their increasing burden during the pandemic.
Of these demands, the government was only able to accommodate the requested SRA.
As of Monday, DOH was able to distribute P237.28 million of the P311.79-million funds for the SRA of the qualified HCWs.
It is expected to distribute the remaining P74.5 million SRA funds in the coming days.
Image courtesy of Nonie Reyes