Duterte gives DOH until June 9 to give cash benefits to virus-hit health workers

Published Jun 4, 2020 12:37:05 PM

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 4) — “Angry and frustrated” over the delay in the compensation of health workers infected with COVID-19, President Rodrigo Duterte is giving health authorities until June 9 to release the money.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in an online briefing on Thursday, said Duterte gave the order in response to the revelation made in a Senate hearing that no infected healthcare worker has received the benefits as promised in the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act.

The law, approved in March, grants ₱100,000 to healthcare workers with “severe” COVID-19 infection and ₱1 million to the families of those who died from the viral illness.

Three months since the law was passed, none has been given to any of the more than 2,600 medical frontliners who have tested positive for COVID-19. Thirty-two of them died.

“Galit, frustrated, at ngayon ko lang po nakita na talagang medyo uminit ang ulo ng Presidente… Binabalaan ko po ang mga otoridad. Sumunod po tayo,” Roque said.

[Translation: The President is angry and frustrated. It’s only now that I saw that the President got hot tempered… I am warning the authorities. Let us comply.]

The Department of Health said they have contacted all the 32 families of the medical frontliners who succumbed to COVID-19.

“We are processing the checks and working out the necessary documents they need to submit to avail the benefits,” Health Undersecretary Roger Tong-an said in a statement.

The World Health Organization in April sounded the alarm over the high infection rate among healthcare workers in the Philippines, which the government said has improved following the purchase of more personal protective equipment for frontliners.

SOURCE: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/6/4/covid-19-health-workers-benefits-.html