Legarda Wants Permanent Positions for Barangay Health Workers

Senator Loren Legarda today reiterated her call for the provision of health workers in every barangay in the country for a more efficient healthcare delivery system and to strengthen community defense against sicknesses.

Legarda has filed Senate Bill 102 that would make barangay health worker (BHW) a permanent position in every barangay and ensure that they will be provided with a monthly salary and with other benefits such as hazard allowance, subsistence allowance and Christmas bonus equivalent to their one month salary.

“Barangay health workers are our health information disseminators, the nurturers of expectant mothers and sick children, and the providers of genuine health care to the Filipino in the deepest nooks of the country. Having BHWs in our communities will make the Universal Healthcare Law more effective,” she said.

Republic Act 10606 or the National Health Insurance Act of 2013, otherwise known as the Universal Healthcare Law which Legarda authored, provides access to basic healthcare services to 25 million indigent Filipinos.

Legarda said that the job of BHWs is crucial to the nation’s healthcare delivery system. Duties of BHWs include mass vaccination, family planning lessons, monitoring of disease outbreaks, dissemination of health information and posting of health advisory bulletins, among other tasks.

“It is essential that we have health workers in every barangay because poor Filipinos deserve to be administered affordable and accessible healthcare. In the same way, our barangay health workers, the State’s primary health care protectors, deserve to be armored with just compensation and an adequate health insurance program,” said Legarda.