The Inter-American Development Bank today announced the approval of a $200 million loan to the Dominican Republic to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public spending in priority social sectors, particularly education and health.
The resources will support the effort of the government to introduce policy reforms that will strengthen the institutional framework of the social sectors, protect social expenditures, increase their efficiency, and strengthen institutional capacity for formulating and monitoring social policy and reducing poverty.
The introduction of structural reforms to improve public spending management is expected to contribute to overall macroeconomic stability and will make it possible to take significant steps toward consolidating a state poverty reduction strategy.
Among the reforms will be decentralized school administration, regularization of school employment, expansion of public health services, improved contracting procedures for hospitals, tighter budgetary procedures for the state secretariats and enhancement of public-spending targeting methodologies.
The program will be carried out by Technical Secretariat* of the Presidency.