“Saving Lives and protecting the country from the onslaught of covid-19 is a costly exercise that is necessary during these challenging times,” says Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare this week.
Since the global outbreak of covid-19 early this year, the Government through the Ministry of Health and Medical Services has spent around SB$30.2 million on its COVID-19 preparedness and response activities.
This figure covers five main outputs including surveillance and risk assessment, prevention and containment, integrated management and response, health system response and risk communication.
From this total, over SB$11 million has been spent on surveillance and risk assessment while over SB$10 million on prevention and containment.
The Government has also spent SB$4.2 million on integrated management response and SB$3.9 million for health system response and over half a million to risk communication. The SB$30 plus million also covers support towards the provinces under these five major outputs.
“As a Government we have to make decisions, and some of these decisions are not easy to make. All decisions that were made were always done with the best interest of our people at heart,”
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare
Spending’s were made also on the National Referral Hospital COVID-19 facilities, quarantine stations and the Health Emergency Operation Center.
Prime Minister Sogavare said the fight against covid-19 is expected to put more pressure on the country’s domestic economy because of the ongoing threat of the virus on our citizens at home and abroad as well as on the global economy.
COVID-19 has caught the global community off guard since its emergence in December 2019 and the Government have been doing its best to keep COVID-19 out of our country – a task that has not been easy.
The current situation is extremely fluid and the Government have to adapt to the situation as best as it can while keeping the country and people safe at the same time.
“As a Government we have to make decisions, and some of these decisions are not easy to make. All decisions that were made were always done with the best interest of our people at heart,” Sogavare said.
The Government is aware that, despite, these efforts there are few individuals and organisations in the country that continue to criticize Government efforts with misinformation to mislead people.
Regardless of this, the Government will continue to work hard to keep our people and country safe from COVID-19.
ENDS///