The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday vowed to immediately process and distribute the P11.5 billion released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) yesterday to cover the One COVID-19 Allowance (OCA)/Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) claims of more than 1.6 million eligible public and private health care and non-health care workers.
In a statement, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the agency is coordinating with its regional offices to ensure the immediate processing and subsequent release of the special allowance amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“The Department is preparing the sub-allotment guidelines and has simultaneously informed regional counterparts at the Centers for Health Development (CHDs) to prepare the necessary paperwork and documents for an expedited and quick disbursement of the released funds,” said Vergeire.
The DOH Officer-in-Charge said a total of 1,617,660 healthcare workers are deemed as eligible to receive their HEAs.
The funds shall cover the HEAs for the period of January 2022 to June 2022.
DBM approved the release of the P11.5 billion yesterday, two days after it released P1.04 billion for the unpaid special risk allowances (SRAs) of 55,211 healthcare workers.
IThe latest release of funds to the Department of Health (DOH) will cover the unfunded portion of some 2,613,331 approved OCA/HEA claims by the DOH as of September 5, 2022, with a total funding requirement of P18.7 billion.
Of that amount, P7.92 billion was released last February 14 to cover the payment of 995,671 OCA/HEA claims.
The provision of OCA is in pursuant to DOH Special Provision No. 14, or the Benefits for COVID-19 Workers, of the 2022 General Appropriations Act, which was subsequently replaced by HEA under Republic Act No. 11712, or An Act Granting Mandatory Continuing Benefits and Allowances to Public and Private Health Care Workers During the Covid-19 Pandemic and Other Future Public Health Emergencies, and Appropriating Funds Therefor.
Just last Monday, DBM also approved the release of a SARO amounting to P1.04 billion to cover the special risk allowance of eligible public and private health workers. – Gerard Naval and Angela Celis
