The Department of Health (DoH) announced that the P27.5 billion allocated for health emergency allowances (HEA) for government medical workers came from unused funds of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). Of the P89.9 billion in unused PhilHealth funds returned to the National Treasury, P20 billion was specifically used for the HEA, with the remaining P7.5 billion sourced from other areas.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman released the HEA funds on July 5 following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to clear pending hazard pay and compensation claims.
This allocation covers over 5 million HEA claims and nearly 4,300 Covid-19 compensation claims.
The funds were initially proposed for the 2025 National Expenditure Program, but the release was expedited to benefit health care workers promptly.
Source: PhilNews24 | July 19, 2024
