PM Shmyhal: COVID-19 Response Fund to be mostly focused on healthcare sector

The recently established COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Disease Response Fund will be focused on healthcare, as well as social needs and business support, according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

"Yesterday the government adopted the procedure for distributing money from the Fund to tackle COVID-19. First of all, these funds will be directed to the needs of healthcare - to pay salaries of healthcare workers, to purchase personal protective equipment, devices, or maybe, to create appropriate conditions, additional measures in hospitals,” he said at an online briefing in Zakarpattia region, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

The prime minister noted that money from the Fund would be also used for social needs, in particular, replenishment of the unemployment benefit fund.

As reported, the Verkhovna Rada on April 13 approved amendments to the state budget of 2020, which envisage the creation of the COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Disease Response Fund totaling UAH 64.9 billion.

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