MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) has disbursed a total of P19.65 billion worth of benefits for health workers since the start of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., the Palace announced Tuesday.

Press Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil said that based on the health department's accomplishment report for July to December, more than 1.6 million health workers have received their One COVID Allowance/Health Emergency Allowance while 73,711 were provided their special risk allowance.

• Marcos to increase deployment cap of nurses abroad
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The Marcos, Jr. administration is implementing projects to bolster the country's healthcare workforce, said Garafil.

The DOH wants to "create quality jobs, encourage research and development, as well as enhance the digital economy", she said.

"To bolster the healthcare workforce, the DOH has launched international scholarship programs for 50 public health professionals," the Malacañang statement read.

"[The DOH also] led the development of a scholarship program with the Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF) to facilitate the grant of scholarships and research programs and exchanges under the DOH's capacity-building and research initiatives, as provided in the Universal Health Care Law," it added.

In mid-November, the Alliance of Health Workers said healthcare workers were still waiting for their allowance for July to December 2021 and July 2022 to that month.

• Health workers hope unpaid COVID-19 benefits out before Christmas

Marcos in September said he would raise the deployment cap of nurses overseas, just as he promised to address their profession's problems in the country.

— Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News

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