Government of Timor-Leste

The IV Constitutional Government has increased the Ministry of Health’s budget in relation to the former Government. For this year of 2010, 50 million dollars have been attributed. “ With this Government we have no more difficulties with budget” Madalena Hanjan explains, adding that, as well as this allowance, there are still combined funds in Timor-Leste for the health area, from Australia, United States, the Global Fund and the World Bank.

With the budget issue minimized, with experienced human resources regarding maternal and child health, and resulting also from a strong awareness campaign, Timor-Leste is actually managing to achieve, in 2010, the defined MDG – Millenium Development Goal – for 2015, regarding mortality reduction. Before 2003 the mortality rate was around 18% per year. According to data collected through the SISCa System, this rate is decreasing at a very high average.

Sending patients to Indonesia, Singapore and Australia also contributes to this reduction. During the last two years, more than 450 patients were transferred for treatment in these countries. The survival rate result in these cases is 95%.

Fertility rate is also progressing in a positive way: having had 7,8 per family, the values are now close to 5,7.

“Families have healthier habits and pay more attention to their health in general. And we are all satisfied with this: it is not only families, but also the Government”, stated the Vice-Minister Madalena Hanjan.