Tiraspol, 20 May. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. The last four years has seen unprecedented investment in our country's healthcare and education, President Yevgeny Shevchuk said today during the traditional state-of-the-nation address. Before mentioning its scale, the president recalled that the state of Pridnestrovian economy had been very disturbing by 2012.
«The aggregate national debt totalled $3 billion, including a gas debt. The general budget deficit, including extra-budgetary funds, on social protection items exceeded 200 million roubles. And the country's gold and foreign currency reserves were negative as of 1 January 2012. In January 2012, only 61% of expenditures were covered by the budget's actual revenues," he said.
In this connection, the task was set to stabilise the economic situation, maintain the rouble's exchange rate, to withdraw special preferences from traditional monopolists, to level conditions for economic activities. Besides, according to the president, the priority spheres were determined — healthcare and education.
At the expanse of various sources (chiefly, extra-budgetary), only the education received about 950 million roubles, thanks to which a lot of education facilities have been repaired in four years.
«The programme has covered the unprecedented number of social facilities: 90 schools and 60 kindergartens, 150 objects altogether, it is by times, I underscore that, by times as many as in 20 years of Pridnestrovie's history. Today, there are almost no kindergarten queues in the republic. As part of the Russian-Pridnestrovian humanitarian project, 130 schools have received 517,000 books and 55 interactive boards," emphasised Yevgeny Shevchuk.
Pridnestrovian healthcare also witnessed a considerable inflow of funds — nearly 810 million roubles. Rybnitsa and Tiraspol diagnostic centres were reconstructed, a university medical department was built, the republican and Bendery's ambulance centres were repaired, as well as Polyclinic No.3 in Sverdlov St, Tiraspol. Besides, the latest medical equipment has been purchased for medical facilities, including a CT scanner and 30 ambulances.
The most valuable result of this all is over a hundred saved lives.
Several more projects are still under way: TB hospitals in Bendery and Rybnitsa, a children's department of the Republican Centre of Mother and Child, a chemotherapy department of Republican Clinical Hospital are being built and equipped.
«Such large-scale changes have become possible, first of all, thanks to Russian assistance, as well as the Pridnestrovian government's systemic work. I want to express special gratitude to the leadership of the Russian Federation and ANO Eurasian Integration for their contribution to the construction of vitally important facilities," said the president.
