THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM), in a statement on Sunday said it released P1.081 billion worth of compensation for both private and public healthcare workers (HCW), as well as non-HCWs working in health facilities.
Individuals who contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will also be eligible for compensation.
Those who contracted a mild or moderate case of COVID-19 will receive P15,000, while those who contracted severe or critical cases will be eligible to receive P100,000.
Families of HCWs and non-HCWs will receive P1 million if they contract COVID-19 and die in the line of duty.
Funds will be sourced from the regular budget of the Department of Health (DoH), under the 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 DBM said.
According to Joint Circular (JC) 2022-0002 of the DBM and DoH, which outlines the conditions for granting compensation, compensation entitlements in this budget cycle run from Jan. 1, 2022 “until the state of public health emergency throughout the Philippines due to COVID-19 is lifted.”
HCWs and non-HCWs cover workers at any public or private health facility, including consultants, residents, fellows-in-training in hospitals, treatment and rehabilitation centers, and sanitaria.
These also include swabbers, vaccinators, encoders, contact tracers, ambulance drivers, barangay health workers, and other medical-related personnel providing COVID-19 services, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, among others.
The JC defined mild and moderate cases to include symptomatic cases and non-severe fever and cough, respectively.
Severe cases were those patients presenting with pneumonia and respiratory infections, while critical cases were those patients experiencing Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, sepsis, and/or septic shock.
Beneficiaries are not allowed to receive compensation a second time, except in cases of re-infection.
There are currently 3,008 active cases of COVID-19, based on the DoH’s COVID tracker website. Last month, OCTA Research, a University of the Philippines institute, warned of a surge in infections by May or June, mirroring the surge in South Africa, India, and the US. — Tobias Jared Tomas