MANILA — The Department of Health will need at least P76 billion to sustain the provision of health-care workers' COVID-19 benefits for the whole of 2023, its officer-in-charge said Thursday.

According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the amount allocated for the health workers' allowances would only cover half the year.

Under the proposed 2023 national budget, funds for public health emergency benefits and allowances is pegged at P20 billion.

"We will be needing around P76 billion for us to be able to sustain this provision of health-care workers' benefits for 2023," she told ANC's "Headstart".

"But we were just given a budget that could only last for about 6 months for next year."

Vergeire also disclosed the agency had arrears of P64 billion for the retroactive payment of Health Emergency Allowance in 2021 and 2022. Medical frontliners are entitled to HEA under Republic Act 11712.

"So, this would be the budget that we need right now so that we can appropriately provide benefits for our health-care workers," she said.

A group of health-care workers on Tuesday staged a protest in front of the DOH's central office in Manila over the still unpaid COVID-19 benefits and to demand wage increase.

• Health workers cry foul over delay of COVID allowances

BIVALENT VACCINES

In the interview, Vergeire is also confident that funds will be provided in the procurement of omicron vaccine booster shots.

"The President is very keen that we allot a certain amount for this new generation of vaccines because we know by 2023, these bivalent vaccines might be out already," she said.

Bivalent vaccines protects against the omicron, as well as the original COVID-19 virus that emerged in China in 2019.

According to the Department of Budget and Management, the health sector received a 10.4 percent budget increase, which is at P296.3 billion, in the 2023 National Expenditure Program. This includes the budgets of the DOH and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.

Some P29 billion has been allocated to purchase drugs, medicine and vaccines while more than P19 billion has been allocated for the salary and benefits of health-care workers, the DBM said in a statement Wednesday.

Meanwhile, P23 billion will be allotted for the Health Facilities Enhancement Program, which will fund the purchase of medical equipment, as well as the construction, rehabilitation and upgrading of barangay health stations, rural health units, polyclinics, LGU hospitals, DOH hospital, and other various health facilities nationwide.

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