‘Let us continue supporting our health frontliners whose services to the nation are indispensable at this time of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.’
THE year 2021 has been declared as International Year of Health and Care Workers, and governments throughout the globe have been outdoing each other in manifesting their concern and respect for health frontliners for the sacrifices made by doctors, nurses, and other medical workers.
The reason is obvious: with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, countries have relied on the knowledge, training and efforts of their respective health care workers, researchers and scientists to mitigate the public health crisis.
It is but proper that these health professionals are given all the incentives and support so that they would continue giving the country, and the world, their valuable services.
In the Philippines, particularly in the House of Representatives, the Committee on Health headed by Quezon province 4th District Rep. Angelina “Helen” Tan has approved several bills seeking benefits like special risk allowance, hazard pay, insurance, compensation, etc. for healthcare workers who are at the forefront in the fight against COVID-19. The five measures approved seek to provide benefits to both public and private health workers during the state of public health emergency, said Tan.
It was Batanes Rep. Ciriaco Gato Jr. who moved for the approval of House Bills No. 9640, 10198, 10285, 10331 and 10365, which will be later be consolidated.
The bills were filed from July to October this year by the six-member Makabayan bloc, Reps. Joy Myra Tambunting, Angelica Natasha Co, Alfred Vargas, and Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr.
This new legislative measures are needed because it has been five months since the expiration of the law that provided for such benefits, and that the frontliner themselves have been asking the Department of Health for the payment of their benefits and similar subsidies.
“The World Health Organization has called on the public to ensure that our health and care workforce are supported, protected, motivated, and equipped to deliver safe health care at all times, not only during COVID-19,” Tan said.
Under the Bayanihan 2 law, 475,723 out of more than 526,000 health workers had received special risk allowances from Dec. 20, 2020 to June 30, 2021, amounting to P7.567 billion.
Let us continue supporting our health frontliners whose services to the nation are indispensable at this time of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
