‘Difficult to believe’: Palace doubts number of health workers who fell ill with COVID

By Prince Golez

Malacañang is doubtful that only less than 20 healthcare workers have fallen ill with coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque was reacting to the statement of the Department of Health (DOH) that all of the 19 health workers who became severely ill from Covid-19 already received their cash benefits.

“One thing I need to clarify is the P100,000 which should be given to those who became severely ill with COVID, and right now, they have identified under 20 persons to have received the P100,000 benefit,” Roque said in an interview with ANC on Wednesday.

“I’d like to verify how many actually should be entitled because it’s maybe a bit difficult to believe that only about 20 frontliners became critically ill with Covid-19. So, we will have to check on that figure,” he added.

The DOH earlier drew flak over its failure to immediately distribute the financial assistance to the families of the healthcare worker who died or got sick from the virus.

Those who succumbed to Covid-19 will get a compensation of P1 million.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)