A bill has been filed at the House of Representatives seeking to increase the wages of government doctors each month from Salary Grade 21 to 23 or from P62,449 to P78,455.
Quezon City Rep. PM Garcia said he filed House Bill 1682 to recognize the contributions of doctors amid the nation’s ongoing battle against Covid-19.
He cited data from the Philippine Medical Association showing a number of doctors have already died dealing with Covid.
A general practitioner, Dr. Jeaneth Aporo, welcomed the proposed salary hike but said it may not be enough considering medical workers chip in long hours to care for others.
“I commend the effort to increase the salary of doctors. However, I believe that the increase will still not be sufficient for the needs of a medical doctor,” Aporo told Daily Tribune.
Vargas’ brother and predecessor, incumbent Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas, authored Republic Act 11712, or the Benefits and Allowances to Public and Private Health Care Workers Law, which the 18th Congress passed on 27 April 2022.