Health sector to receive largest share of MVR 59.7 billion state budget

The government has announced a proposed state budget of 59.7 billion rufiyaa for next year, with the largest expenditure of 10.2 billion rufiyaa allocated to the health sector. Finance Minister Hassan Zareer announced the details of the proposed budget today, stating that ensuring quality health services for the well-being of the people and the country’s future is always beneficial. He said significant importance will be given next year to establish a system that can provide quality health services across all regions of the country. The announcement follows President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s statement in October that the health sector would receive the highest priority in this year's budget. The President noted that last year's budget was specifically dedicated to housing, reflecting his promise to provide housing for everyone above 18 years of age within five years. According to the expenditure statistics made by the state up to the 16th of this month, out of the 1.8 billion rufiyaa allocated for housing under the PSIP projects, the government spent only 164 million rufiyaa, which accounts for only nine percent. The difficulty in housing is described as the biggest problem facing the country.