Gov’t to give P1M to health workers who die in fight vs. Covid-19

Gov’t to give P1M to health workers who die in fight vs. Covid-19 COVID -19 News

By Azer Parrocha

MANILA – A total of PHP1-million will be given to all health workers who die while fighting the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic under Republic Act 11469 or Bayanihan to Heal as One Act. Under the new law, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will assure that the service of health workers in the public and private sector will be recognized amid the government’s efforts to combat the deadly virus.

The PhilHealth will also give PHP100,000 to all health workers in the public and private sector who contract severe Covid-19 infection while in the line of duty.

This provision has a retroactive application from Feb. 1, 2020.

Last March 23, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Administrative Order 26 which grants a “Covid-19 hazard pay” worth at the rate of PHP500 per day to government workers, including health

workers, who physically report for work under the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine. COVID -19 News

The government workers entitled to hazard pay are those who occupy regular, contractual or casual positions, or are engaged through contract of service (COS), job order (JO) in national government agencies (NGAs), including state universities and colleges (SUCs) and government owned or-controlled corporations (GOCCs).

Public health workers are entitled to the Covid-19 hazard pay if it is higher than their current hazard pay under existing laws.

The private hospitals and other health facilities, on the other hand, are encouraged to grant hazard pay to their health workers and staff exposed to the dangers of Covid-19.

Volunteer health workers

In a statement, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, suggested that the government can maximize volunteer health workers by engaging them on the basis of contracts of service similar to job orders.

This way, he said, they can be compensated on a daily rate for a limited time period equivalent or close to the amount received by actual government-employed health workers. By considering the volunteers as job orders or contract of service workers, he said they will also be entitled to hazard

He said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has proposed that health workers’ risk allowance will be given on top of the hazard pay.

Under the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers (RA 7305), all public health workers are entitled to a PHP500 “Covid-19 special risk allowance” per day in addition to the hazard pay.

With this proposal, Go said volunteer health workers may receive around PHP1,500 per day excluding PHP500 hazard pay and “perhaps another PHP500 risk allowance per day”.

A licensed nurse volunteer may get around 2,200 per day while the rate of an entry-level licensed doctor at a DOH-run hospital is salary grade 21, equivalent to PHP59,353 per month, he added. He said volunteer doctors may be given a similar amount but computed on a daily basis.

Initially, the Department of Health (DOH) initially offered qualified volunteers a PHP500 allowance, free food and accommodation and insurance in case they get infected with Covid-19.

To date, 593 health workers already signed up to help the government control the public health emergency.

Manila where Covid19-related cases will be referred -- Lung Center of the Philippines, Philippine General Hospital and Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium, the DOH said.

Reports showed that over 10 doctors have died due to Covid-19 while others are in critical condition. workers who risked their lives reducing the transmission of the highly-infectious disease. COVID -19 News

“Let us join hands in solemn prayers for our health front-liners who daily put their lives on the line as they treat those who have the virus,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.

Several other health workers have been classified as either patients under investigation (PUI) or persons under monitoring (PUMs). He also reminded health workers to look after themselves, as it was the only way they would be able to fulfill their duties.

DSWD readies aid for vulnerable sectors affected by Covid-19 Malacañang earlier mourned the passing of these doctors and urged the public to pray for all health “We must all take care of ourselves because in doing so we take care of others,” he said. (PNA)

The Emergency Subsidy Program includes the DSWD’s provision of food and non-food items (FNFI) and financial assistance through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) as well as those provided by other agencies, provided that the benefits received by each household does not exceed the prescribed threshold per region. MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assured it will provide social amelioration measures amounting to PHP5,000 to PHP8,000 for two months to families belonging to vulnerable sectors affected by the enhanced community quarantine amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis as mandated by Republic Act 11469 or the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.”

The PHP5,000 to PHP8,000 worth of social amelioration programs is based on the maximum subsidy per region determined from the region’s minimum wage levels as these are close approximations to the amount needed to buy basic food, medicine, and hygiene essentials. It will be given to an eligible family in cash and in kind by various national government agencies. COVID -19 News

The LAG will be given after the quarantine period has been lifted to help the families start anew.

The provision of FNFI is part of the DSWD’s Technical Assistance and Resource Augmentation (TARA) to local government units in addressing the food needs of their constituents. AICS, on the other hand, provides integrated services to individuals and families in crisis situation which include financial assistance to assist them with their basic needs.

Likewise, Livelihood Assistance Grants (LAG) will be provided to a beneficiary-family of the Department’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) with at least one member who is a worker in the informal sector and is displaced due to the declaration of the community quarantine. The family must be in the master list endorsed by the LGU to the DSWD Field Office (FO) and must still undergo assessment by a DSWD staff.

LGUs will prepare the list of the target beneficiaries of the social amelioration measures and endorse this with the complete documentary requirements to the concerned DSWD FO for verification.

A Social Amelioration Card (SAC) that captures the family profile will be distributed to the LGUs to enable the beneficiaries to access the assistance. It will also serve as a monitoring tool to avoid duplication of delivery of services. DSWD will also use the existing list of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) Program to validate the list submitted by LGUs.

Families under the 4Ps will also be supported with a top-up on their grants and rice subsidy to reach the maximum benefit per region. The 4Ps beneficiaries

are most vulnerable to economic, social and physical shocks such as this health crisis, thus, the need to augment their existing grants to help them with their daily needs.

The social amelioration measures will help mitigate the socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 health crisis and the enhanced community quarantine to the target beneficiaries, particularly the senior citizens, persons with disability, pregnant and lactating mothers, solo parents, overseas Filipinos in distress, indigent Indigenous Peoples, homeless citizens, and the informal economy workers.

The measures are contained in the Joint Memorandum Circular forged by DSWD, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Finance (DOF), and the Department of Budget and Management. COVID -19 News

DSWD also vowed to strengthen its coordination with the LGUs to provide the delivery of maagap at mapagkalingang serbisyo (prompt and compassionate service) to the poor, vulnerable, and disadvantaged, while putting premium to the health and safety of its beneficiaries and personnel in this time of public health emergency. (PR)

Use available funds to compensate volunteer health workers: Go

MANILA – Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Sunday appealed to the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to provide proper compensation for health workers who volunteered to help respond to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Go, chair of the Senate committee on health, also urged the DOH to equip the health workers with the muchneeded tools and protection to do their jobs. “Despite being volunteers, they are professionals. Highly skilled sila at buhay nila ang nakataya para maprotektahan ang sambayanang Pilipino (They are highly-skilled and

their lives are at stake to protect the Filipinos). Let us use the funds available to give them proper compensation and provide them with the tools, facilities and protection they need to resolve this health crisis,” Go said. COVID -19 News

Go suggested that the government can maximize volunteers by engaging them on the basis of contracts of service similar to job orders so that they can be compensated on a daily rate for a limited time period equivalent or close to the amount received by actual government-employed health workers.

He said the Senate pushed for the passage of the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act” (Republic Act 11469) to grant special authority to President Rodrigo Duterte to use the government’s funds to help and increase the front-liners fighting Covid-19 outbreak. problem,” Go said, adding that the amount may be charged against the Maintenance and Other Operating Expense of the agency.

On March 27, the DOH called on “doctors, nurses, nurse assistants, hospital orderlies able, healthy and willing to commit to work in the fight against Covid-19.”

Go said DBM Secretary Wendel Avisado and DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III agreed that that aside from allocating funds to equip health workers and enhance health facilities, it is also possible for the government to provide highly skilled volunteers with compensation nearly close to the amount being received by government health workers but computed on a daily rate. He said by considering the volunteers as job orders or contract of service workers, they will also be entitled to hazard pay in accordance with the recent memorandum of DBM. On top of the hazard pay, he said DBM is also proposing additional risk allowance to be given to front-line workers.

“In this time of crisis, we need all the help we can get to defeat the virus,” he said.

With this proposal, Go said volunteer medical practitioners may receive around PHP1,500 per day excluding PHP500 hazard pay and “perhaps another PHP500 risk allowance per day”.

He said a licensed nurse volunteer may get around 2,200 per day while the rate of an entry-level licensed doctor at a DOH-run hospital is salary grade 21, equivalent to PHP59,353 per month. Volunteer doctors may be given a similar amount but computed on a daily basis, he added.

The DOH initially offered qualified volunteers an allowance, free food and accommodation and insurance in case they get infected with Covid-19. So far, 593 health workers already signed up to help the government control the public health emergency, according to the DOH. COVID -19 News

Go also suggested that “qualified” volunteers who are unlicensed nurses or nursing students be compensated using daily rate of around PHP1,000 plus hazard and other applicable allowances.

He said the priority now is to be able to provide immediate healthcare needs to solve the health problem and defeat the virus and, at the same time, to provide cash and food assistance to those who are affected the most in this crisis.

“With the passage of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, bulk of government spending is now allocated to DOH for immediate healthcare needs, DSWD for social assistance especially for affected vulnerable sectors, and DOLE for assistance to displaced workers,” Go said.

Go further urged the DOH to address immediate concerns of the health sector when it comes to much needed support from government in equipping and capacitating health institutions so they can be more responsive to the needs of constituents amid the growing threats of COVID-19. In its call for volunteers, the DOH indicated that qualified volunteers will work in one of the three hospitals in Metro Manila where Covid19-related cases will be referred, namely, Lung Center of the Philippines, Philippine General Hospital and Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium.

The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act also provides that health workers will receive PHP100,000 each if they “contract severe Covid-19 infection on duty” and PHP1 million each for their families in case of death.

Go recognized the essential roles of the front-liners in this crisis.

“Maraming salamat po sa inyong serbisyo (Thank you for your service). We commend all our front-liners — health workers, doctors and nurses — who have sacrificed their lives to save their fellow Filipinos. Kayo ang mga bayani sa giyera na ito (You are the heroes of this fight),” Go said.

He said that aside from compensating volunteer health workers, DOH must expedite the procurement of test kits, ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies, and other necessary tools to equip hospitals.

DOH eyes release of Go said compensation is not the only issue here as the best way to help the health sector respond to this crisis is by sufficiently providing them with the tools and protection needed to do their job.

“Bigyan natin ng pansin ang mga reklamo ng ating front-liners – mga health workers, doctors at nurses. Pakinggan at tulungan natin sila dahil sila ang mas nakakaalam kung ano ang dapat gawin para matapos ang health emergency na hinaharap ng ating bansa (Let’s give attention to the complaints of our front-liners – health workers, doctors at nurses. Let’s listen and help them because their skills are very much needed to end this health emergency),” he added. (PR) COVID -19 News

Covid-19 test results by 24-48 hours By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos

MANILA – The government is now targeting meeting the standard processing time of 24 to 48 hours in releasing the results of tests of persons suspected to be infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday.

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire issued the statement, as she admitted that it takes five to seven days for Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) to release the Covid-19 test results due to “backlog.” magkakaroon tayo ng real-time results already na sinasabi nating 24 to 48 hours (After that, we can now have real-time results. We can get the results by 24 to 48 hours),” she said in a televised “Laging Handa” briefing.

Vergeire said RITM already made a commitment to address the backlog in “two to three days.” There are now 707 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Philippines, with 45 deaths and 28 recoveries.

the country, Vergeire said subnational laboratories are expected to receive some 5,000 test kits each either by Friday or Saturday.

Subnational laboratories that will get new test kits from DOH include Southern Philippine Medical Center in Davao City, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu, San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, and the Lung Center of the Philippines, Vergeire said.

Vergeire said subnational laboratories also vowed to process the results of tests for Covid-19 by 24 to 48 hours. She added that around 30 laboratories have signified interest to conduct the test for Covid-19.

“Isa-isa ho nating ia-assess iyan para lumawak pa ho ang mga laboratoryong maaaring gumawa ng test na ito sa ating bansa (We are assessing that so we can have more laboratories that can conduct Covid-19 tests in our country),” Vergeire said.

Check rapid test kits

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion stressed the need to improve access to testing to allay public fear amid the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

Concepcion said the use of rapid test kits for Covid-19 should be assessed by the DOH and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). COVID -19 News

“There are these rapid test kits that are out there and available. The issue here is that DOH and FDA do not agree with it,” he said during the “Laging Handa” briefing.

“Sometimes, in warfare, you have to use what we have now. If the test kits are already running, then there’s no need for this type of rapid test kits. I hope that the DOH and the FDA will test these test kits.”

The DOH earlier thumbed down the use of rapid Covid-19 test kits, as it questioned the accuracy of the test results.

Vergeire said the DOH and FDA have to be careful in approving the use of test kits for Covid-19 to ensure that the results of tests are “accurate.”

“Ang problema po kapag hindi po registered iyan ng Food and Drug Administration, hindi po iyan dumaan sa masusing pag-aaral, maari pong magbigay iyan sa atin ng false negative or false positive results (The problem is if it’s not registered by the Food and Drug Administration, it can give false negative or false positive results),” she warned.

The FDA has so far approved 15 Covid-19 test kits for commercial use. (PNA)

ONE MINDANAO MOBILE APP

Executive Editor ABNER M. CAGA EDITORIAL BOARD Associate Editor FRYAN E. ABKILAN Managing Editor NORA CL MOLDE Copy Editor VENUS LIM GARCIA Layout Artists RONNIE E. MADANGUIT JOHN CHARLES B. MALAZARTE Contributors Agusan del Sur JENNIFER P. GAITANO Surigao del Norte/Dinagat Islands SUSIL D. RAGAS Surigao del Sur NIDA GRACE B. TRANQUILAN RUTH ABBEY GITA-CARLOS SALVE MORDENO-DINOLAN MAY ANN O. ESCOBAL NOLI C. NUSOG ALEXANDER LOPEZ CHE PALICTE AZER PARROCHA PREXX MARNIE KATE TROZO DARYLL M. TUMBAGA DOH-CHD CARAGA U.S. EMBASSY IN THE PHILIPPINES DOLE-CARAGA, DTI-CARAGA DA CARAGA, BFAR-CARAGA PNP-CARAGA, DAR-SDN POPCOM CARAGA, PRO13 DOST-STII, PPA-PMO, PNA, SSS Business Managers ZARINA O. LASTRA DOREEN MARIELLE N. ROSALES MARIESH F. CELEDEÑA MAY AMOR O. ALABADO Photographer ROBESPIERRE C. TRADIO RUDOLF BONNIN E. SANICO

Regional Office Jose Rosales Avenue, Butuan City E-mail: piacaraga@gmail.com;

pia_caraga@yahoo.com.ph Telefax No.: (085) 341-5285; Telephone no. (085) 815-1991 Facebook: Philippine Information Agency Caraga Twitter: @PIACaraga

Information Centers

AGUSAN DEL NORTE Jose Rosales Avenue, Butuan City Telephone no. (085) 815-1991 E-mail: pia.northagusan@gmail.com Facebook: PIA Agusan del Norte

AGUSAN DEL SUR Provincial Government Center, Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur Cellphone no. 0917-723-3455 E-mail: pia.agusandelsur@yahoo.com.ph Facebook: PIA Agusan del Sur

SURIGAO DEL NORTE/DINAGAT ISLANDS Parrucho corner Magallanes St., Surigao City Telephone no. (086) 826-9450 E-mail: piasurigao@gmail.com Facebook: PIA Surigao del Norte; PIA Dinagat Islands

SURIGAO DEL SUR Old DPWH Bldg., Telaje, Tandag City Telephone no. (086) 211-3353 E-mail: piasurigaosur@gmail.com; sds_pia@yahoo.com.ph Facebook: PIA Surigao del Sur