MANILA – The PHP8.8 billion funds for the special risk allowance (SRA) of public and private healthcare workers (HCWs) caring for or in contact with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients were released, according to a health official on Thursday.
“Ang nakatanggap po niyan both public and private healthcare workers, contractual man o plantilla, nasa 400,000 po (About 400,000 public and private healthcare workers, contractual or plantilla, have received that),” Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said in a television interview.
Administrative Order (AO) No. 42, which enables the continuity of the Covid-19 SRA grant previously provided in AO 36, series of 2020, was released on June 1.
The AO warrants the continuation of the SRA grant in response to the ongoing public health emergency.
The SRA amounts to PHP5,000 monthly. It is pro-rated depending on the number of days in a month that public and private HCWs physically report for work, as confirmed by the head of the hospital, laboratory, or medical and quarantine facility.
“So, naibigay na po lahat ‘yan, downloaded or allocated na ‘yan sa different regional health offices para sa public, sa LGU [local government units] and para sa mga (So, it has been downloaded or allocated to different regional health offices, LGUs, and for) private hospitals,” Vega said.
The funds are released to the Department of Health by the Department of Budget and Management for the payment of Covid-19 SRA to eligible public and private health care personnel.
