Budget hospital cover

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released P3.51 trillion or 78 percent of the record P4.51-trillion 2021 national budget in the first three months, portions of which funded various agencies’ pandemic response. The share of first-quarter releases to total appropriations was slightly lower than the 78.4 percent recorded a year ago, but the P3.22 trillion released and the P4.1-trillion budget last year were both smaller than this year’s figures, the latest DBM data showed. Among funds under Republic Act No. 11518 or the 2021 General Appropriations Act, allotment releases from January to March amounted to P2.41 trillion or 78.5 percent of the P3.08-trillion full-year program. Comprehensive releases to government departments as of end-March reached P2.29 trillion or 87.1 percent of the programmed P2.64 trillion for 2021. As for special purpose funds, P115.9 billion or 24.6 percent of the P440.1 billion allotted for this year were released. Automatic ... » Learn More about 78% of 2021 national budget released in first quarter

Senior citizens enjoy horse racing at the Royal Turf Club in Bangkok. Thailand is already an aged society, with people aged 60 or above set to account for 20% of the population this year. (Photo by Patipat Janthong) The Finance Ministry is growing concerned about slow economic growth prospects and higher inflationary pressure in the long term as Thailand transitions to an "aged" society. A ministry source who requested anonymity said the country's demographics are rapidly ageing, resulting from falling fertility rates and rising life expectancy. Having a larger proportion of the population made up of the elderly means fewer people in the workforce. The country has been what is termed an "aged" society since 2005, meaning 10% of the population is already 60 or older. The proportion of the population aged 60 or older is expected to reach 20% this year. Thailand's trajectory has it becoming a "super-aged" society in 2031, meaning 28% of the population will be 60 or older. ... » Learn More about An ageing conundrum

NEW DELHI: After gifting and selling tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses abroad, India suddenly finds itself short of shots as new infections surge in the world's second-most populous country. India breached 200,000 daily infections for the first time on Thursday (Apr 15), and is trying to inoculate more of its population using domestically produced shots. Facing soaring cases and overflowing hospitals after lockdown restrictions were eased, it also abruptly changed the rules to allow it to fast-track vaccine imports, having earlier rebuffed foreign drugmakers like Pfizer. It will import Russia's Sputnik V vaccine starting this month to cover as many as 125 million people. The reversal in fortunes could hamper not only India's battle to contain the pandemic, but also vaccination campaigns in more than 60 poorer countries, mainly in Africa, for months. The COVAX programme, backed by the World Health Organization and Gavi vaccine alliance, aims at equitable vaccine ... » Learn More about India shifts from mass COVID-19 vaccine exporter to importer

The local government of Muntinlupa has received P442 million from the Department of Budget and Management and Department of Social Welfare and Development as part of the national government’s emergency subsidy to families affected by the enhanced community quarantine in NCR Plus. Mayor Jaime Fresnedi signed an executive order for the distribution of financial assistance amounting to 1,000 pesos per individual with a maximum amount of P4,000 per family to target beneficiaries which include individuals from the Social Amelioration Program, 4Ps, low-income individuals, and those working in informal economies affected by the community quarantine, among others. Fresnedi said qualified Muntinlupa city residents will receive the assistance in cash to help them recover from economic disruption brought about by the imposition of ECQ in Metro Manila. At least 80 percent of the population of Muntinlupa is set to receive the emergency subsidy. An initial pay-out was facilitated in Tiosejo ... » Learn More about Muntinlupa LGU receives P442-M from national gov’t

NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: India battled a record surge in COVID-19 cases on Friday as hospitals ran out of oxygen and beds, while politicians held election rallies and hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees attended a weeks-long festival, infuriating health officials. A massive second wave of infections, second only to the United States in total, forced authorities to restrict movement of people in Mumbai, New Delhi and other cities amid growing calls for faster vaccination rollouts. The 217,353 new cases reported by the health ministry on Friday marked the eighth record daily increase in the last nine days and took the total number of cases to nearly 14.3 million. The United States has reported more than 31 million infections. Deaths in India rose by 1,185 over the past 24 hours - the highest single-day rise in seven months - to reach a total of 174,308. Experts have raised concerns about the spread of more contagious variants of the disease, particularly given widespread ... » Learn More about India battles record COVID surge as rallies, Hindu festival draw huge crowds

While the term “asset progression” is used loosely these days, one thing should be clear: there’s a huge difference between planning to sell and upgrade (e.g., moving from a flat to a condo), versus actually wanting to own multiple properties. Wanting to own a second home is a bigger aspiration, that will require deeper pockets and more in-depth planning. In light of that, here are the key considerations to have even when buying your first home: What should you consider if you want to own a second home later? Apart from your personal finances (more on this below), the following are important details: Starting with a flat, versus an EC or condo Joint tenancy versus tenancy-in-common Deciding on the primary residence Financing issues 1. Starting with a flat, versus an EC or condo One key concern is that you cannot “decouple” if you own an HDB flat, barring special circumstances like divorce. This means you cannot transfer your ownership to your co-owner, freeing you ... » Learn More about 4 key issues to consider if you are planning for a second property

In a survey on married people in Singapore, 90 per cent of couples said they had financial disagreements about half the time. Whether you're considering moving in with your partner, getting married, or having a family together, you should ask your partner financial questions to avoid potential conflict down the line. If you both are not on the same page, making hefty financial decisions can be stressful. However, having these discussions can help your relationship grow. To help you get started, we've listed the most important topics to cover. 1. Does your partner owe money? One of the most important factors to consider is how much and what kind of debt your partner has. For instance, did your partner take out an education or business loan, or do they instead have a lot of credit card debt? Discussing debt can be a sensitive topic for many, but you should have a general idea of how much your partner owes and how long it will take to repay the debt to avoid financial strain. ... » Learn More about Financial questions to ask your partner before you get serious

CARACAS: Venezuela has received a batch of 50,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said on Thursday, as COVID-19 cases spike in the South American nation. Venezuela had previously acquired 250,000 Sputnik V vaccines and 500,000 doses of the shot developed by China's Sinopharm, which so far have been administered to public officials, health workers, teachers and some senior citizens. The new round of vaccines will also be administered to firefighters, civil protection personnel and workers who take oxygen to hospitals, said Alvarado. "They are not part of the sector health, but they are exposed," he said. The government of President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend said it paid US$64 million to cover vaccines via the COVAX system. Separately, the government is in talks with opposition leader Juan Guaido to make additional vaccine payments with funds frozen in the United States. Venezuela has reported 178,094 cases of ... » Learn More about Venezuela gets another 50,000 doses of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Health Ministry has proposed that interstate travel be postponed for the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri, as daily COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Speaking after a ministry event on Thursday (Apr 15), Health Minister Adham Baba said the proposal to put off approval for interstate travel was due to two reasons. “One, there are new variants of COVID-19 in the community. Two, the vaccination programme is still ongoing, so we need to control the situation,” he said. He noted that many parties have appealed to the government to permit interstate travel for this major festival. On whether exceptions could be made for those who have completed their vaccination, Dr Adham said the ministry was still waiting for findings from the World Health Organisation and the US' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If the ministry’s proposal to halt cross-state travel for the upcoming Hari Raya celebrations is accepted, this will be the second year ... » Learn More about Malaysian Health Ministry proposes that interstate travel be postponed for Hari Raya

The coronavirus pandemic has forced hasty revisions to the long-rehearsed plans for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, with government guidelines limiting guests to just 30 WINDSOR (UNITED KINGDOM) - Final preparations were being made on Friday for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip, with the ceremony pared back due to coronavirus restrictions but still reflecting his long life of military and public service. Police patrolled the Long Walk outside the stately walls of Windsor Castle, where the funeral will be held on Saturday, as a steady stream of well-wishers left floral tributes. Broadcasters from around the world set up position outside the historic residence west of London for the most high-profile funeral of a senior royal since that of the Queen's mother in 2002. The coronavirus pandemic has forced hasty revisions to the long-rehearsed plans for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, with government guidelines limiting guests to just 30. But Buckingham ... » Learn More about Fine tuning for Prince Philip’s funeral