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 the coronavirus while performing frontline functions in combatting the pandemic.

Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante, Jr. said the program that was unanimously approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) early this week 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 the novel coronavirus will immediately be provided with 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 a city health officer or authorized representative for the purpose of receiving medical intervention for serious or critical cases, the resolution said hospital assistance will not be more than P400,000 or the net amount of the bill after PhilHealth, Office of Senior Citizens Affairs or persons with disabilities deduction, whichever is lower.

The hospitalization assistance will be prospective in application, the SP resolution said.

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

Records of the City Health Office showed that there are 32 frontliners who already contracted the virus.