Pay Our Long-Delayed Benefits

Healthcare workers demand unpaid perks; Palace says SRA already released

- Analou De Vera And Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos

COVID-19 UPDATE IN PH

As of September 1, 2021

2,003,955 CONFIRMED CASES

14,216 NEW CASES

33,533 DEATHS

1,829,754 RECOVERED

“Enough is enough.”Healthcare workers staged a protest action outside the Department of Health (DOH) central office in Manila on Wednesday, Sept. 1, to press the agency to release their long-delayed benefits.

Clad in their personal protective equipment (PPEs) while holding placards and empty cans, healthcare workers slammed the government over the “non-payment” of their COVID-19 benefits.

“The continued denial of benefits from nurses and other health workers pushes them to leave the domestic health sector and find better work opportunities, if only to save their families from hunger and getting ill. Consequentially, this will deprive millions of Filipinos to access quality care,” said Filipino Nurses United (FNU) National President Maristela Abenojar.

“Aside from their special risk allowance (SRA), there are other delayed benefits that include hazard duty pay, life insurance; meals, accommodation, and transportation allowance; compensation for health workers who had mild, moderate, severe or critical COVID-19; as well as compensation for families of health workers who died of COVID—19 was “likewise unaddressed,” said Abenojar.

Palace assurance