PAID RISK. Barangay healthcare workers (BHWs) in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte line up on June 1, 2022 at the Pagudpud Gymnasium to receive their Special Risk Allowance (SRA) worth PHP1,428 each. The amount is being funded by the Department of Health. (Photo courtesy of Pagudpud LGU)
MANILA – Two senators filed bills that aim to add more benefits for barangay health workers (BHWs) who have been playing an important role in the country's fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go reiterated on Wednesday the need to pass into law his filed bill which seeks to mandate the appointment of at least two BHWs in every barangay with standard salaries and additional incentives.
“Ang mga barangay health workers ang nasa frontline ng ating hangarin na panatilihing malusog at walang sakit ang ating mga kababayan (Barangay health workers are in the frontline of our aim to make sure that our countrymen remain healthy and disease-free),” Go said in a statement.
It is the BHWs time, he said, to be taken care of by giving them enough support and benefits to uplift their lives.
Go's Barangay Health Workers Compensation and Incentives Bill, if passed into law, will entitle BHWs to a monthly honorarium of PHP3,000 with a Christmas bonus; sick and vacation leaves; annual training and skills upgrading; Civil Service Eligibility; and legal indemnification.
BHWs will also be entitled to Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and Pag-IBIG benefits, according to the senator.
Meanwhile, Senator Loren Legarda's Senate Bill No. 5 or the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers also aims to provide a comprehensive set of compensation, incentives, and other benefits as an acknowledgment of the services that BHWs have been rendering to the people.
“BHWs suffer due to a lack of effective support mechanisms and insufficient funds from the local government units. The deplorable state of barangay health programs and services is due to the current shortage of volunteers, the BHWs, whose numbers seem insufficient to address the growing needs of barangays,” Legarda said in a statement.
Recognizing BHWs as “true heroes” of the country's health delivery system, the returning senator believes that the country's healthcare delivery system will falter at the grassroots without their dedication and hard work. (PNA)
