SENATOR Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday hailed the recent progress toward better support for barangay health workers (BHWs) after the sponsorship of the committee report for the Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers.
“As front liners of our primary healthcare system, our BHWs must be given sufficient incentives, benefits and most of all just compensation for all the hard work they have done for us,” the senator said of the measure.
On September 24, 2024, the committee report (Senate Bill No. 2838 under Committee Report No. 332) was signed by 16 senators and was recommended for approval by the Senate Committees on Health and Demography, Local Government, Ways and Means, and Finance.
It combined several measures, including Cayetano’s version (Senate Bill No. 68), which aims to upgrade BHWs from volunteer status to government employees.
Cayetano’s bill, called the Mahal Ko, Barangay Health Worker Ko Law, was filed on July 7, 2022, highlighting the vital role of BHWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the principal author, he was the first to file this bill among those included in the committee report.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, BHWs were notably at the forefront of response where they served as the bridgeway of communication between the health centers and constituents,” the senator said in his bill’s explanatory note.
Inspired by their dedication and hard work, Cayetano sought to improve the BHWs’ employment standards, increase their number in each barangay or cluster, and provide them with incentives and benefits. All of his proposals have now been incorporated into the consolidated measure.
Cayetano said this proposed measure is feasible, highlighting the City of Taguig as a successful example of providing incentives and benefits to BHWs.
“We should start properly compensating, assisting, and building up the skills of our health workers, because they are our backbone for the efficient delivery of our overall health system,” he said in his bill.
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