Health gets second largest share
Mpho Mokwape | Tuesday February 2, 2016 16:17
Delivering the budget speech for 2016/17 financial year yesterday, Matambo announced that the Ministry of Health will receive the second largest share of the proposed recurrent budget of P5.75 billion or 15.5 percent of the total, a slight increase from P5.67 billion from the 2015/16 budget.
He explained that the budget will cover the cost of drugs, dressings and vaccines, service charges, anti-retroviral therapy, replacement of obsolete medical equipment, medical specialists’ fees, running costs for the new Teaching Hospital, and the establishment of the Medicine Regulatory Authority, among others.
“Government is committed to investing in health not only to raise the standard of living in the country, but also to improve the productivity of the workforce. We continue to pursue avenues to improve the standard of health,” he said.
Further he pointed out that one such avenue to improve the heath system will be this year’s implementation of the Medicines and Related Products Supply Chain Strategy.
“Its objective is to ensure regular availability and rational use of essential medicines and provide quality assurance and security of health commodities throughout the supply chain,” he said.