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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on April 13th, 2022
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and, decided to authorize the procurement procedure, by international public tender, for the award of the contract for the construction of the Paediatric and Coronary Intensive Care Unit of the Guido Valadares National Hospital (HNGV). This project was presented by the Minister of Health, Odete Maria Freitas Belo. The main objective of the construction of this new unit is to improve access and the quality of the specialised care provided at the HNGV, with special attention to the admission of emergency cases and paediatric urgency. It will also improve the national response to sporadic and emerging outbreaks of dengue, cholera or other outbreaks with great impact on public health, particularly among newborns, children and adolescents.
Also approved was the draft resolution, presented by the Ministry of Planning and Territory, for the approval of the procurement procedure, by international public tender, for the adjudication of a public contract for the purchase and installation of a digital connection from Timor-Leste, through an undersea fibre optic cable, to the cities of Darwin and Port Hedland, in the Commonwealth of Australia.
Lastly, the Council of Ministers approved the draft Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of Petroleum and Minerals, Victor da Conceição Soares, for the attribution of subsidies to public road transport operators, national air and maritime transport operators and purchasers of fuel for agricultural and fishing activities.
Given the situation in Ukraine, which has led to a substantial increase in the price of a barrel of oil, this decree-law aims to ensure the stability of fuel prices and avoid harmful consequences for the economy and consumers. It is therefore necessary, on an exceptional and transitory basis, to intervene in the fuel market to mitigate the impact of fuel price increases on public transport and other activities that are crucial to the national economy.
The subsidy to be granted to public road transport operators, national air and sea transport operators and purchasers of fuel for agricultural and fishing activities, known as the fuel voucher, consists of a discount voucher to be used at fuel sale stations, in an amount corresponding to 100% of the difference between the average price per litre of petrol or diesel charged in December 2021 and the price per litre of petrol or diesel charged on the date the fuel voucher is issued, taking into account the type of fuel and its characteristics.
The decree will be in force until July 31, 2022, and may be extended if the fuel market’s exceptional conditions for price increases remain unusually unstable. END