President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11712 or the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Health Care Workers Act last Wednesday.

It will cover health care workers and "non-health care workers" in public and private medical and allied medical facilities during the pandemic or other public health emergencies of national scale as declared by the president.

Qualified workers will be entitled to a P3,000 health emergency allowance (HEA) if they are assigned in low risk areas or away from patients.

They will get a P6,000 allowance if their duty is in medium risk areas or located in the health facility, where they provide direct physical care to persons are suspected to be COVID-19 patients.

Those providing healthcare to patients involving aerosol-generating procedures as well as collecting or handling specimens from suspected COVID-19 patients are considered deployed in "high risk" areas. They will receive a P9,000 allowance.

The rates, which will be released monthly, will apply to workers, who rendered at least 96 hours of physical duty in a month. Otherwise, the health emergency allowance will be prorated.

The rate may be increased upon the approval of the President.

In case of death of the covered individuals, their heirs will be entitled to P1 million.

For those who will get sick, they will get P100,000 if they suffer severe or critical symptoms and P15,000 if it is mild or moderate symptoms.

Death and sickness benefits should be given no later than three months after date of confinement or death.

RA 11712 will take effect after it is published in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

It will take effect retroactively from July 1, 2021 and shall remain in effect during the state of national public health emergency as declared by the President. DMS