Health workers called for the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in a massive protest they held on Wednesday.
Those who participated in the protest included workers from Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC), National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), Philippine General Hospital, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and Tondo Medical Center.
They marched to the Department of Health (DOH) office in Manila to demand Duque’s resignation due to the government’s failure to provide their benefits immediately.
But the workers also insisted that the DOH did not only neglect the benefit because they also did not have adequate protection in the daily approach to COVID-19.
According to the group of health workers, only a few have received the promised special risk allowance (SRA).
They said they are still not given their meals, accommodation, transportation (MAT) allowance, and active hazard duty pay.
This Wednesday is also the deadline for President Rodrigo Duterte with the DOH and the Department of Budget and Management to benefit health workers.
About P311 million has been reduced to pay the SRA of more than 20,000 health workers.
Health workers call for Duque’s resignation
On the other hand, some health workers doubt that the agencies will reach the deadline in providing their allowance.
In an interview with TeleRadyo, Cristy Donguines, president of the JRRMMC employees union, said that the call for Duque’s resignation was in the name of delicacy.
He said health workers and ordinary people have been asking for this for a long time.
President Rodrigo Duterte has defended Duque several times, but recently, he said he would accept if the secretary resigned voluntarily.
Donguines also resented the DOH’s statement that it was still seeking funding to provide workers’ benefits.
“Naghahanap? Napakalaking kalokohan naman po ‘yon. Naghahanap sila ng pondo,” he said.
“Kakalabas lang ng [Commission on Audit] report na P11.9 billion pa po na unused, unutilized na budget para sa manggagawang pangkalusugan… ang ni-release lang po nila P311 million,” said Donguines.
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