Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 23) — Some 20,000 healthcare workers in private hospitals have not yet received their COVID-19 allowances from the government amounting to ₱1.94 billion.
According to United Private Hospital Unions of the Philippines (UPHUP), the government still owed them their health emergency allowance (HEA) and COVID-19 compensation.
\”‘Yung pinakamatagal po sa amin, sa isang lokal namin, 19 months na po ‘yung hindi nila nakukuha na HEA. The rest po nag-a-average po ng either 12 to 15 months,\” UPHUP spokesperson Richie Ignacio said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
[Translation: The longest among us, in one of our local unions, they haven’t gotten their HEA for 19 months. The rest averages from 12 to 15 months.]
Ignacio said the delay in the distribution of COVID-19 allowances has forced some health workers to look for jobs abroad.
\”Marami akong kakilala na wala na po silang balak umalis sa Pilipinas. Pero ang nangyari, since hindi po natutupad ‘yung mga pinangakong benefits ng gobyerno as well as ‘yung mga pagbabago na dapat mabigay for the better, para sa mga private hospital workers, lalo na sa mga nurses, parang natetengga lang po lahat. Kaya mas minabuti na po nilang mag-abroad pa.\”
[Translation: I know many people who have no intention of leaving the Philippines. But what happened, since the promised benefits of the government were not fulfilled, as well as the changes needed for the better, for private hospital workers, especially nurses, it seems that everything was put on hold. So it’s better for them to go abroad.]
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has previously underscored the role of medical workers in fighting the pandemic and other health crises and vowed to \”exert all efforts\” to champion their welfare.
He promised to address the exodus of Filipino nurses, saying in his inauguration speech: \”There will be changes starting tomorrow.\”
But Ignacio said that “tomorrow” never happened.
UPHUP also reiterated their call for the Department of Health to expedite the long overdue distribution of health workers’ HEA.
