The Minister of State for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM), Agio Pereira, today, on April 1, 2019, conducted the delivery to the President of the Special Administrative Region of Oecusse Ambeno (RAEOA), Mari Alkatiri, of two new 4×4 vehicles, fully equipped for the ambulance service at RAEOA, at a ceremony held at the Government Palace in Dili.

The National Parliament during the discussion of the General State Budget for the year 2018, approved the proposal to acquire the two ambulances to support the citizens of the RAEOA, and the PCM was responsible for the acquisition of the vehicles.

These two ambulances will make it possible to respond to the needs felt by inhabitants of the RAEOA, particularly in remote areas, in access to health care.

In addition to providing the two vehicles, fully equipped for the ambulance service, the PCM will also provide training for proper use and maintenance of the equipment.

Mari Alkatiri in his remarks to journalists said that “these ambulances delivered by the Minister of State of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers are modern and complete” and stressed the need to provide “training for doctors and nurses who will accompany the ambulances” as well as “creating an equipment maintenance plan”, “in order to take full advantage of the potential of this equipment”.

The RAEOA President said “these ambulances will be able to replace those that exist in Oecusse, which are very old and have many mechanical problems” and “will cover the entire health system of Oecusse”, he added.

The Director General of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Pedro Feno, said that “the acquisition of these ambulances is part of the central government’s commitment to support the means of medical care in RAEOA”. The Director-General also noted that “these Toyota Land Cruiser model ambulances, manufactured in 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, cost a total of US $ 240,000 – $ 158,000 for the acquisition of vehicles and $ 82,000 in medical equipment”. Pedro Feno added that the choice of this vehicle model “was due to the need to ensure that these ambulances have the ability to reach remote areas in the mountains”.