DOH inaction on fallen frontliners’ compensation leaves Ping wondering: How can we heal as one when they can’t heal their own?

How can we heal as one when they can’t heal their own?

Sen. Panfilo Lacson asked this Wednesday amid the Department of Health’s failure to follow the Bayanihan Act in giving P1-million compensation to the families of at least 32 health workers who died while battling the COVID-19 threat.

“This makes us wonder: How can we heal as one when they can’t heal their own? Worse, it makes us wonder as well if the DOH is busy procuring pricey medical equipment to neglect their front-liners,” he added in a statement.

Lacson noted the Bayanihan Act that Congress passed in a special session last March also provided for compensation for health workers in the front lines. These include (https://twitter.com/iampinglacson/status/1267984258993250304).

* Special Risk Allowance to government health workers;
* Free medical expenses to public and private health workers;
* P100,000 allowance to public and private health workers who get infected by the coronavirus in the line of duty.

On Tuesday evening, Lacson tweeted it is “totally unacceptable” that the families of the 32 health workers who died due to COVID-19 have yet to receive the P1-million compensation.

He said this is in clear violation of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (https://twitter.com/iampinglacson/status/1267789803245846530).

Also, he stressed the P1-million compensation “is the least the government owes the families of these 32 fallen heroes.”

“It’s in the law. The lack or absence of implementing rules and regulations should not be an excuse not to comply with the law,” he pointed out.

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