Recto seeks pay hike for social workers: Nation owes so much from these neglected frontliners

By JOHN CARLO M. CAHINHINAN

Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto is pushing for the salary increase of government social workers, which are considered the “forgotten” frontliners amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Recto has expressed concern since government social workers are the “frontliners with most number of ‘patients’ in hospitals.”

“There is a group of forgotten and neglected health frontliners to whom the nation owes so much—the social workers in public clinics and hospitals,” he said.

Recto stressed that social workers have the biggest number of clients in a hospital and the best belated “thank you card” for them is to make their minimum pay equal to nurses—P32,035 a month which us under the Salary Grade 15 category in the government pay scale.

He said like medical professionals, social workers prepare a patient chart but of a different kind, one which often shows the hard life of the sick and their families.

“Our social workers help them and their families find relief, by becoming their advocates for discounts and free treatments. They refer them to agencies which can extend financial help,” he said.

Recto noted that social worker’s job “goes beyond profiling” as they recommend psychosocial care, lodging for the caregivers, fare money for the stranded.

“They’ve been doing this ages before this pandemic struck… sila ang unang puntahan ng mga kamag-anak ng naospital. Hindi lang tambak ng papeles ang kanilang mesa, puno din ng luha,” he said.

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