Ministry of Finance has revealed over USD 66 million has been spent for COVID-19 relief efforts in the Maldives.
The weekly COVID-19 spending report publicised by the finance ministry states total spending towards COVID-19 health efforts as of July 2 stood at USD 66.74 million which is a 5.4% increase from the week before. As per the statistics, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Health continued to spend significantly higher compared to its peers, in terms of week-on-week spending. So far, the expenses of NDMA amount to USD 43.2 million, while the health ministry has spent a total amount of USD 10.56 million.
The statistics showed the health ministry procured equipment over the past week worth over USD 857,000 for hospitals in outer islands to improve the resilience for COVID-19. Meanwhile, noteworthy expenses by NDMA includes USD 947,912 for travel expenses. A 13.3% increase was recorded compared to the previous week, in operational services of NDMA pertaining to the COVID-19 related efforts.
Furthermore, the statistics revealed most expenditures were on procuring medical equipment such as test kits and personal protective equipment (PPE). In this regard, USD 31 million has been spent on procuring medical equipment.