UST HOSPITAL workers received their nearly four-year-delayed health emergency allowance worth over P7.4 million following repeated appeals to the Department of Health (DOH).
Medical and non-medical workers were able to claim their respective health emergency allowance on Nov. 13, according to Ugnayang Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng UST Hospital (UNM USTH) president Donnel Siazon.
“The [health emergency allowance] became a reflection of a rotten system of the government. This is also a symbol of the hardships of health workers in the country. The fight continues,” Siazon told The Flame.
The DOH vowed to release the allowancefollowing a protest by USTH workers outside its main office in Manila on Oct. 27.
The amount covers the emergency allowance grant to USTH healthcare and non-healthcare staff incurred in December 2021, January and March of 2022 and January, February and May of 2023.
The allowance is given to medical and support personnel who worked in the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic in line with Republic Act No. 11712 or the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Healthcare Workers Act.
Workers under the “low risk” category will receive at least P3,000 monthly allowance, while those under “medium risk” will be given P6,000 for the months they worked over the 2-year coverage period. Workers and other personnel classified as “high risk” will receive at least P9,000 worth of allowance.
More concerns
Siazon said the UNM USTH’s next move is to convince the health department to open its grievance board and to push for the reclassification of medical technologists from “moderate risk” to “high risk.”
“We will continue to fight for our medical technologists and to all health workers nationwide who are deprived [of] the benefits,” Siazon said.
According to Siazon, the DOH has yet to convene a grievance board, which hinders the UNM USTH from requesting the reclassification of medical technology workers.
“[We will work to] convince the DOH na buksan ang Grievance Board and not to deprive the health workers to access the processing system to which the DOH decided to shut down,” he said. F
