The Department of Health (DoH) expressed its support for the proposed honorarium hike for Cebu City barangay health workers (BHWs).

This after Cebu City Health officials proposed on 9 September to increase the monthly honorarium of BHWs from P7,500 to P10,000, citing their 24/7 work nature.

“The Department of Health recognizes the importance of our BHWs in the ongoing reform to use primary health care as our catalyst for [Universal Health Care],” DoH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo told DAILY TRIBUNE.

“The Department also acknowledges the autonomy of local governments, and prays for the sound judgment and wisdom of local chief executives when it comes to their budget priorities,” Domingo added.

Altea Racuya-Lim, BHW coordinator for the Cebu City Health Department, emphasized the need for the increase, noting there are over 900 BHWs across the city’s 80 barangays.

However, Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia had raised concerns about the city’s financial capacity to support the proposed increase.

Lim said Garcia cannot approved the proposal just yet because Cebu City’s finances “cannot cover the increase.”