The Department of Health said Monday it has tried its best to support the health workers, and that those directly caring for COVID-19 patients are being given priority in terms of benefits because of limited resources.
The department made the statement after health care workers complained about the Bayanihan Two or Republic Act 11494’s provision giving a special risk allowance to both public and private health workers “directly catering to or in contact with COVID-19 patients for every month that they are serving during the state of national emergency.”
Groups of health workers had previously said that even the non-health worker employees of hospitals were at risk for contracting the virus because of the nature of their work.
“Health workers are always on the top of our list. We are also looking at the resources that we have.,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a virtual briefing.
She said they chose to give the additional benefits to those directly caring for COVID-19 patients because they were most at risk.
“We were not able to include other health workers in the hospital. But you have to understand that you are receiving existing hazard pay, aside from other benefits that the government is providing for you as health care workers,” Vergeire said.
She says the hazard pay that all public health workers regularly receive is for the risk they take from working in the hospital.
As of Dec. 5, the number of COVID-19 cases involving health workers has climbed to 12,721, of whom 228 are active and 76 are deaths.
Nurses top the list of the infected health workers with 4,506, followed by physicians with 2,141.