BLUE RIBBON PROBE ON DOH COVID FUNDS TO FOCUS ON DELAYED PROVISION OF HEALTH WORKERS' BENEFITS

Senator Richard J. Gordon, Chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said the preliminary hearing on the alleged deficiencies in management of the Department of Health's (DOH) COVID-19 funds on Wednesday will focus on the alleged delayed provision of the healthcare workers' benefits.

"We are calling this hearing because this is a very serious matter and we cannot just turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to this issue. Some of our health workers are not getting the right benefits and this problem has become so grave that they now mull mass resignation over lack of benefits," said Gordon.

The probe was triggered by the Commission on Audit's (COA) report that stated that the DOH did not comply with the existing laws and regulations in handling the P67 billion worth of COVID funds, and following several complaints from healthcare workers regarding the delay in the issuance of their benefits such as the active hazard duty pay (AHDP) and special risk allowance (SRA), among others.

"Not only are our health workers getting sick and dying of COVID-19; they are also demoralized" he said.

"We are fighting a medical war. No government worth its salt should ever allow its soldiers, the medical workers, in this case to go to war without adequate support and compensation," Gordon added.

Last June, the Department of Health (DOH) announced that the P9 billion fund for the new tranche of SRA for health workers has been released to the agency's regional offices.

However, Gordon said the responsibility of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III does not stop in releasing the money. Duque, he said, has to make sure that the money reaches the intended recipients.

"We have many questions and hopefully as we answer these questions, we will somehow fix our broken response to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Gordon.