TACLOBAN CITY – A pending bill in Congress that seeks for all barangay health workers to be part of the National Health Insurance Program under the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation is laudable which needs to be supported by all local government units, especially the various sangguniang offices, this was disclosed by Leyte fifth district Board Member Carlo Loreto.
House Bill 3142 or “An act requiring the mandatory coverage of all barangay health workers (BHW) in the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) under the Philippine Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) is among the bill submitted to Congress by Campostela Valley First District Congresswoman Maria Carmen Zamora-Apsay.
To support said bill, the board member from the fifth district authored a resolution requesting Congress to pass the bill into law.
“This bill is laudable as it is only proper that our barangay health workers be provided with proper benefits such as being a member of Philhealth as they are our partners in ensuring and delivering basic health services to the people most especially those who are living in far-flung areas where they regularly visit to provide services,” Loreto said in an interview.Although based on the Barangay Health Workers’ Benefits and Incentives Act of 1995 where under section 6 of said law it states that barangay health workers in recognition to their services shall be entitled for incentives and benefits like hazard allowance and subsistence allowance, additional benefit such as membership for health insurance is not part of said law.
Hazard allowance are given to barangay health workers in rural and urban areas exposed to situations, conditions, or factors in the work environment or place where foreseeable but unavoidable danger or risks exist which adversely endanger his health or life and/or increase the risk of producing adverse effect on his person in the exercise of his duties, to be validated by the proper authorities, shall be entitled to hazard allowance in an amount to be determined by the local health board and the local peace and order council of the local government unit concerned while subsistence allowance is given to those who render service within the premises of isolated barangay health stations in order to make their services available at all times, shall be entitled to subsistence allowance equivalent to the meals they take in the course of their duty, which shall be computed in accordance with prevailing circumstances as determined by the local government
Loreto added that once the pending bill in Congress is passed and approve by Congress, BHW will now have security once their health is compromise for they have insurance which they can use any time.
“We are not asking for them to get sick or anything but we just wanted to make sure that once this thing happens to them they are ready for they have Philhealth to back them up,” Loreto said.
The Philhealth membership coverage of all BHW will be covered by the national government, according to Loreto. (ROEL AMAZONA)
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