Egyptian Finance Minister Mohamed Maait announced Friday that his ministry is ready to meet all additional appropriations for the health sector during the implementation of the 2021/2022 state budget, to help in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that his ministry will also provide the necessary funding to continue the purchase of vaccines through an open budget for the health sector.
And in order to carry out presidential directives granting top priority to preserving the health of citizens, especially against coronavirus, Maait said that allocations for the health sector in the budget for the current fiscal year 2021-2022 have exceeded the established constitutional entitlement ratio, totaling LE275.6 billion.
Maait said that three billion LE has been provided to purchase vaccines so far, to ensure that the largest number of citizens is immunized against the virus, especially in light of the emergence of the fourth wave in some countries.
Scientific studies have confirmed the effectiveness of vaccines against any mutations of the virus, he said, and stressed that a return to pre-coronavirus economic performance indicators and the expansion of vaccinations are closely tied.
The minister added that the Egyptian economy will emerge from the pandemic more solid, in light of the gains made by the economic reform program which enabled the government to flexibly handle the COVID-19 crisis.
This is alongside allocating a proactive package that included financial and monetary easing measures, and helping to mitigate the health and social impact of the pandemic and maintain.
Egypt launched its vaccination campaign on January 24. The Health Ministry is currently working to vaccinate medical staff first, and has opened registration for Egyptians and non-Egyptian adults on its website.
The country aims to vaccinate 40 percent of its citizens by the end of 2021. Ministry workers have visited public markets, public transportation, places of worship, salons, cafes, shops, gathering spaces, and villages to educate the public on the vaccine and encourage them to sign up for the jab.
