The Deputy Prime Minister of East Timor, Mariano Assanami Sabino, said today that the Timorese government has already paid part of the debts owed to hospitals in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, which receive Timorese patients.
"Earlier this year, we paid debts to hospitals in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, totaling more than 12 million dollars [11.4 million euros]," the deputy prime minister told Lusa.
Asked about the information that the Timorese Government's debt with hospitals in the three countries totals 30 million dollars (28.6 million euros), Mariano Sabino clarified that, at this moment, the debt does not exceed 20 million dollars (19.6 million euros). 1 million euros).
"We have already paid almost half of the debts we had. Now, we are waiting for the Ministry of Health to carry out proper audits and properly verify the evidence and receipts, so that we can continue paying," he explained.
Mariano Assanami was speaking in parliament, on the sidelines of the discussion of the 2023 General State Account.
The Deputy Prime Minister also assured that the Government is studying mechanisms to improve the conditions of the Lahane Hospital, in Dili, in order to enable the treatment of patients with less serious cases in Timor-Leste. But, he stressed, serious cases will continue to be sent abroad for treatment.
"We are looking to the future and we want to reduce costs, but we have to ensure the necessary conditions to save lives and manage these cases well," he added.
Many Timorese citizens receive treatment abroad annually due to the country's health system's inability to perform certain procedures and treatments.
