TIRANA, December 5/ATA/ Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu stated today in the Assembly that, “Through the continuous increase of the fund and financing of the Economic Assistance scheme for over 64 thousand families and individuals, the total fund for this program for 2023 will be 7.3 billion Lekë, or 2 times more than in 2013”.
During her speech in the Assembly, answering the questions of the MP of the Democratic Party Dhurata Çupi regarding the minimum standard of living in Albania, Minister Manastirliu emphasized that, “What is important is that our policies remain focused on improving the standard of living and policies on reducing of poverty have always been focused towards supporting vulnerable groups, both through providing direct financial assistance and services; including health services, the ‘Baby Bonus’, free books, scholarships for students, vocational schools, benefits through employment programs, subsidies and compensations as a whole for energy, transport, fiscal incentives and up to the new policy to support unemployed mothers with more than three children”.
“During the natural crisis of the earthquake and the pandemic, all attention has gone to the protection of those most in need through solidarity packages and social resistance. We are doing this even now as we face the current crisis caused by the inflation of Putin’s war; now we are strengthening the social shield”, said Manastirliu.
Minister Manastirliu said that, “Only within this year we increased by 20% the amount of economic assistance for families benefiting from the scheme; we doubled the amount of economic assistance for mothers with two or more children; we doubled the amount of economic assistance for the elderly without an old age pension; we tripled the economic assistance measure for children without parental care”.
“Our will is steadfast, as we have shown until today, to strengthen the social protection systems and to increase even more the support for every individual and family in need”, said Manastirliu. /k.s/r.e/p.s./
