AN ORGANIZATION of barangay health workers (BHWs) in Central Visayas has called on its members across the region to be vigilant against any unauthorized solicitations, collections, or directives.
In a statement released on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, the Federation of Barangay Health Workers of Central Visayas (BHWs-CV) denied requiring BHWs to pay a P750 registration fee to attend any of its events, “nor do we require them to make any specific purchases to become members of this federation.”
The BHWs-CV said it received numerous complaints from various provincial health offices and municipal health officers about individuals allegedly posing as federation representatives to solicit money without the federation’s approval.
BHWs-CV president Khonan Cerial shared the statement on Facebook on Thursday, Aug. 15.
SunStar Cebu reached out to Cerial for further information on Friday, Aug. 16, but had not received a response as of press time.
The BHWs-CV officers, including program coordinators, are elected officers who took oath on March 12 this year as officers for the years 2024 to 2026.
The BHWs-CV assured its BHW members that the federation is closely coordinating with the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH 7) to investigate the issue and take proper action.
The DOH 7 also clarified the incident debunking these acts are not authorized by the agency.
“The DOH Central Visayas CHD clarifies that it does not sanction or approve the collection of any amount from the BHWs for event registration in its activities, nor does the agency require the purchase of any product as a requirement for membership in any BHW federation,” the agency said in a statement on Wednesday, August 14, 2024.
The DOH 7 said the agency is committed to upholding rightness and transparency in all its transactions to guarantee and safeguard the interests of BHWs and the public.
The DOH 7 also encouraged BHWs to source legitimate information from their official website, page, and similar channels, or directly from their designated program coordinators.
The agency said it would look into the report and urge the public to remain vigilant against unscrupulous personalities and immediately report related incidents to their office. / CDF