The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P1.081 billion to the Department of Health (DOH) for the grant of sickness and death benefits to public and private health care workers and other workers in health facilities who contracted or who may contract COVID-19 in the line of duty for this year.
Specifically, workers in health facilities who contracted mild or moderate COVID-19 infection will receive a compensation of P15,000 while those who fall under the severe or critical case will be compensated for P100,000.
P1 million is allotted for the family of workers in health facilities who died due to COVID-19 while in the line of duty.
The identification of COVID-19 classification of eligible workers will be based on the criteria set by the Health department under DBM-DOH Joint Circular No. 2022-0002.
The funds were charged against the regular budget of the DOH under the FY 2022 General Appropriations Act. Thus, the compensation will be transferred by the Department of Health to DOH-retained and corporate hospitals, DOH Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers, and Centers for Health Development, among other attached agencies and institutions.
The DOH on Saturday reported 175 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide total to 3,687,922, as the number of active cases dropped to 3,008, the lowest reported so far this year.
The regions with the most number of new cases in the past two weeks were the National Capital Region (NCR) with 903, then Region 4-A with 277, and Region 3 with 236.
No new COVID-19 deaths were reported, the DOH said.
Meanwhile, a total of 3,624,459 patients have recovered from the viral disease.
The country’s bed occupancy rate stood at 16.7 percent as of May 12.
The number of occupied beds was 5,163, while 25,682 were vacant.
The DOH said 20,026 people were tested on Friday, with 307 testing laboratories submitting their data.