Quezon city: The Quezon City government on Thursday announced that health care workers (HCWs) who served during the height of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic will soon receive their Health Emergency Allowance (HEA).

According to Philippines News Agency, this announcement follows the release of funds in September by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The Quezon City Health Department (QCHD) promptly forwarded the Covid-19 Risk Exposure Classification (CREC) Reports to the Department of Health (DOH) for the immediate issuance of the HEA. The city government is also in continuous coordination with the DOH to expedite the processing and release of funds.

Republic Act (RA) 11712, known as the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Health Care Workers Act, stipulates that HEA is distributed based on validated risk classification. The law categorizes risk exposure into high, medium, or low risk, guiding the allocation of HEA to eligible public and private HCWs and non-HCWs. High-risk healthcare workers are entitled to an HEA of PHP9,000 per month, medium-risk workers receive PHP6,000 per month, and low-risk workers are allocated PHP3,000 per month.

The computation of the actual HEA is based on the number of hours worked by the HCWs and non-HCWs, as certified by the head of the facility or an authorized representative, starting from 01 July 2021. The Quezon City government expressed its recognition of the sacrifices and dedication of healthcare workers who served as frontliners during the pandemic, acknowledging their critical role in maintaining the health and safety of citizens.