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The demands on better benefits and compensation for health workers intensified as front liners from both public and private hospitals began mass walkouts over their unreleased special risk allowance (SRA) and active hazard duty pay. 

Health workers express their distress for the Department of Health’s (DOH) negligence and inaction despite repeated calls for their overdue benefits — especially now that the country has reached over two million COVID-19 cases. 

Although the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has reportedly  financed P311 million worth of SRAs to 20,156 health workers, apart from  the P7 billion worth of SRAs that the DOH released from December 2020 to June 30, 2021 to over 300,000 healthcare workers, Filipino Nurses United (FNU) President Maristela Abenojar argued that this not enough since the country has 1.8 million health workers to properly compensate. 

“Nangangamba po kami doon sa 20,000 lamang na bilang given na sinasabi po natin ngayon na in principle, dapat ay lahat tumanggap, at sabi ‘nyo po ay may 1.8 million na health workers ang ating bansa, pero 20,000 ang bibigyan ng karagdagan, na noong nakaraan ang binigyan niyo lamang po ay 360,000”Abenojar stated. 

Aside from being deprived of their rightful COVID-19 benefits, healthcare workers also struggle with inadequate supplies and equipment due to the insufficient public health funding. 

“Nagkukulang kami sa PPE. Kami na rin ang bumibili ng sarili naming mask…”Edlyn Bautista, a nurse from Bongabon District Hospital for seven  years said in an interview with SINAG. 

“Kaya tama lang [‘yung] ginawa nilang protest [kasi] without ‘yun feeling namin hindi maibibigay ang SRA Sana lang fair compensation naman. May pamilya kaming na-ririsk sa work namin. ’Yung gamot pa lang at vitamins na para sa pamilya namin na binibili namin para makaiwas sa sakit dahil nga carrier kaming mga nurse ay gastos na. Sana naman mabigyang pansin o mapag-aralan pa o mas maging sensitive pa sila sa lagay ng mga nurses sa Pilipinas,”Bautista added. 

Moreover, health workers are also pushing  for Health Secretary Francisco Duque’s resignation not only because of his failure in complying with the overdue benefits of health workers, but also due to his incompetence in managing the misused and unused P67 billion worth of COVID-19 funds. 

According to the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW), Duque must be held accountable for his “gross negligence, inept and inefficient response in handling the pandemic.” The group urged Duque to resign immediately and if not, they are firm to continue to protest until he is ousted from his position. Even ACT-CIS Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo joined the demands to end Duque’s administration. 

“Resign now before we here in Congress demand your forced resignation during the budget hearings,”Tulfo stated Saturday, August 28. 

Health workers reiterated their demands on their protest last Wednesday morning, September 1, following warnings of mass resignation and union strikes. Frontliners rallied at the DOH compound while some held their protest virtually. 

“No amount of benefits landed in our hands,” Research Institute for Tropical Medicine Employees Association-Alliance of Health Workers President Romeo Garcia stated the day before the protest.  

“Where did the billions of funds that were not used for our benefits go?”Garcia furthered. 

With the rapid escalation of COVID-19 cases and the dominance of the Delta variant that threatens to overwhelm the country’s healthcare infrastructure, most especially our medical frontliners, it is only just that our health workers receive the benefits they deserve. They are certain to continue demanding until the government finally heeds their calls for a more equitable pay and improved working conditions. 

It has been a year and a half since the beginning of our country’s long-running battle with the pandemic. However, it is never too late to make a difference. Let all our healthcare workers be heard. 

Now more than ever, our voices must be united to put an end to the system of oppression and exploitation, and finally prevail against the evils of the Duterte administration. 

Featured image courtesy of REUTERS / Eloisa Lopez.