By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Cadiz City government has established a medical assistance program granting financial aid and free hospitalization to its employees – either elective officials, permanent, contractual or job order workers – who will be infected with coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, while performing frontline functions in combating pandemic.

Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante, Jr. said the program that was unanimously approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod recently also covers village officials, tanods and barangay health workers.

SP Resolution No. 2020-354, authored by Councilor John Vincent Escalante, said frontliners who tested positive for COVID-19 shall immediately be provided with a cash assistance of P10,000 that is retroactive in application.

In the event that the health condition of the grantee requires hospital confinement as certified by the city health officer or her authorized representative for the purpose of receiving medical intervention for serious or critical cases, the resolution said, the hospital assistance shall not be more than P400,000 or the net amount of the bill after PhilHealth, OSCA or PWD deduction or whichever is lower.

The hospitalization assistance shall be prospective in application, the SP resolution added.

The Cadiz City government has about 740 employees and 440 barangay-based workers and officials actively involved in the fight against COVID-19.

Records of the City Health Office showed that there are 32 frontliners who have already contracted the virus./DGB, WDJ