The Department of Health 11 (DOH 11) announced that the regional office has already released the benefits and compensation for the health care workers in Davao Region who were infected and died due to Covid-19.
This is in line with the DOH and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Joint Circular No. 2022-0002 for the release of P1.08 billion for the sickness and death compensation of eligible personnel assigned in all public or private health facilities involved in Covid-19 response, who were infected by the virus and/or died while fighting the COVID-19 pandemic while in the line of duty.
“For the whole Davao Region, we released na yung benefits and compensation who got mild disease as well as yung nagkaroon ng severe, yung nag-succumb to death due to Covid. We were able to release also mga budget and also provided allocated funds for those individuals and this is based on the law and guidelines na kailangan silang mabigyan,” said Dr. Gerna Manatad, assistant regional director of DOH 11.
Manatad said based on the data there are 1,677 individuals, who were diagnosed with mild and moderate Covid-19 who received their compensation and 11 individuals who were severe and critical. DOH 11 also compensated two cases who succumbed to death.
“This is a cumulative data from all those filed claims in the DOH Davao Region,” she said.
Meanwhile, the said circular includes both medical and health allied personnel who provide direct health care to patients, and also technical, administrative, and support staff within the health facilities. Personnel may be occupying a regular, temporary, coterminous, contractual or casual position, on full-time or part-time basis. Clinical consultants, resident physicians, and fellows in training are included. Also included are duly accredited volunteer workers, including but not limited to swabbers, vaccinators, encoders, bar coders, contact tracers, and ambulance drivers, as well as Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT) members and barangay health workers (BHWs) provided they are assigned to health facilities or health-related establishments.