A party-list congressman on Saturday appealed to fellow legislators to support a measure providing higher compensation and better benefits for barangay health workers (BHWs) “who are in the forefront of delivering healthcare services in communities.”
“While our medical practitioners and other who belong to the health care profession are protected by laws and receive proper compensation for their services, our Barangay Health Workers who provide accessible and quality medical assistance to our constituents in the grassroots do not enjoy the same rights and protection from the law,” said Rep. Ray Reyes of the AnaKalusugan party-list.
Reyes, vice chair of the House Committee on Health, was referring to the proposed Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) which provides higher pay and other benefits, including a monthly honoraria of not less than P3,000.
Reyes lamented how the BHWs did not enjoy the same rights and protection from the law unlike other professionals in the healthcare sector.
“The health and well-being of all is an inalienable right granted to all citizens of our country and we must ensure quality of health care is readily available to all,” he added.
Reyes is one of the principal authors of the measure — House Bill 1829 — which seeks to empower BHWs and provide them with additional health benefits, compensation, and incentives. The bill under consolidated HB 6557 has already been approved at the lower house.
“Primary healthcare services should always be a priority and we hope that giving proper compensation and benefits to our BHWs will encourage more people to serve in our communities, especially in remote areas,” Reyes said.
Under the proposed measure, BHWs will be entitled to incentives that include hazard allowance, transportation allowance, subsistence allowance, one-time retirement cash incentive health benefits, insurance coverage, as well as vacation and maternity leaves.
The bill also seeks to provide BHWs with opportunities for career enrichment through educational programs and scholarship benefits.
“The importance of our Barangay Health Workers in providing accessible and quality medical assistance in the grassroots cannot be overstated.
We need to protect the well-being of our BHWs and provide them with competitive compensation and benefits for their services,” he stressed. Maricel V. Cruz