The Department of Health (DOH) reported on Saturday that the total Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) obligation of P103.5 billion is now 90% paid.
The DOH, as an implementing agency, has settled around 14.5 million claims from health workers.
In April of 2024, the DOH recorded around P23.4 billion worth of HEA obligations for 4.3 million claims that could not be paid due to budget constraints. After the DOH processed and granted appeals, the figure rose to P27.3 billion.
In July of this year, President Marcos Jr. instructed Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman to no longer wait for the General Appropriations Act of 2025 to pay this amount, and to process it this year. The surplus fund balance or excess payments which PhilHealth returned to the national government provided the cash needed.
The DBM released a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) to enable the DOH to fulfill the obligation. As of 20 September 2024, 64% of the additional P27.3 billion has already been disbursed.
According to DOH, health facilities have been key players in the final payment of HEA to health workers themselves. DOH has listed 2,853 such facilities; checks have been issued to 2,070 (73%) of them.
