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BY MAE SINGUAY
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BACOLOD City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) approved in its second reading the proposed ordinance granting barangay health workers (BHWs) and barangay nutrition scholars (BNSs) in the city PhilHealth insurance benefits.
The proposal is now subject for a 10-day posting prior to its third and final reading, according to Councilor Em Ang, the proponent.
Ang said BHWs and BNSs are “true unsung heroes who devote their lives to serve Bacolodnons.”
Ang said they are performing frontline and basic services – like delivery of primary health care programs – and thus exposed to “extreme health risks and hazards.”
The proposal, if passed, will cover all accredited BHWs and BNSs in the city except those who are already senior citizens (60 years old and above) and beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
Ang’s proposal also cited Republic Act (RA) 7883, or the Barangay Health Workers’ Benefits and Incentives Act of 1995, which provides incentives and benefits including hazard allowance, subsistence allowance, civil service eligibility, free legal services and preferential loan facility to accredited BHWs.
Under RA 7883, a BHW refers to a person who has undergone training programs under any accredited government and nongovernment organization and who voluntarily renders primary health care services in the community after having been accredited to function as such by the local health board in accordance with the guidelines promulgated by the Department of Health.
A BNS, meanwhile, is a barangay-based volunteer worker responsible for delivering nutrition services and other related activities such as community health, backyard food production, environmental sanitation, culture, mental feeding, and family planning to the barangay, according to Presidential Decree 1569./PN
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