Incentives and Benefits.
Section 6
SEC. 6. Incentives and Benefits. —In recognition of their services, all accredited barangay health workers who are actively and regularly performing their duties shall be entitled to the following incentives and benefits: Hazard Allowance —Volunteer barangay health workers in rural and urban areas, exposed to situations, conditions, or factors in the work environment or place where foreseeable but unavoidable danger or risks exist which adversely endanger his health or life and/or increase the risk of producing adverse effect on his person in the exercise of his duties, to be validated by the proper authorities, shall be entitled to hazard allowance in an amount to be determined by the local health board and the local peace and order council of the local government unit concerned. Subsistence Allowance — Barangay health workers who render service within the premises of isolated barangay health stations in order to make their services available at any and all times, shall be entitled to subsistence allowance equivalent to the meals they take in the course of their duty, which shall be computed in accordance with prevailing circumstances as determined by the local government unit concerned. Training, Education and Career Enrichment Programs — The DOH, in accordance with the Department of Education, Culture and Sports and other concerned government agencies and non-government organizations, shall provide opportunities for the following: educational programs which shall recognize years of primary health care service as credits to higher education in institutions with stepladder curricula that will entitle barangay health workers to upgrade their skills and knowledge for community work or to pursue further training as midwives, pharmacists, nurses or doctors; continuing education, study and exposure tours, training, grants, field immersion, scholarships, etc.; scholarship benefits in the form of tuition fees in state colleges, to be granted to one child of every barangay health worker who will not be able to take advantage of the above programs; and special training programs such as those on traditional medicine, disaster preparedness and other programs that address emergent community health problems and issues. Civil Service Eligibility.—A second grade eligibility shall be granted to barangay health workers who have rendered five (5) years continuous service as such: Provided, That should the barangay health worker become a regular employee of the government, the total number of years served as barangay health worker shall be credited to his/her service in computing retirement benefits. Free Legal Services —Legal representation and consultation services for barangay health workers shall be immediately provided by the Public Attorneys Office in cases of coercion, interference, and in other civil and criminal cases filed by or against barangay health workers arising out of or in connection with the performance of their duties as such. Preferential Access to Loans —The DOH in coordination with other concerned government agencies shall provide, within one hundred eighty (I 80) days after the effectivity of this Act, a mechanism for access to loan services by organized barangay health workers. The agencies providing loan services will set aside one percent (1%) of their loanable funds for organized barangay health worker groups that have community-based income generating projects in support of health programs or activities.