Government Council evaluates development plan

Santo Domingo.- President Luis Abinader and Vice President Raquel Peña led the 49th Council of Government last night. They evaluated the 10 priority development measures and highlighted achievements such as a 7.4% reduction in the housing deficit in two years and a drop in infant mortality rates from 18.4 in 2023 to 16. 0 in 2024, and a reduction in the homicide rate to 7.8 per thousand inhabitants.

The Minister of the Presidency, José Ignacio Paliza, provided the information at a press conference after the meeting, which began at 6:20 p.m. and ended two and a half hours later with the massive presence of officials from various areas.

“We reviewed the macroeconomic projections and expect growth of 4.5% in 2025 and 5.1% in 2026. Meanwhile, April was the sixteenth consecutive month with inflation below 4% and the dollar exchange rate averaged 60.80 for a year-on-year depreciation of 2.8%,” he said.

He also reported that they analyzed the progress of initiatives such as the Hearts program, the expansion of the trauma hospital network, and the primary care network.

“We discussed programs such as school health, which is already starting in 101 educational centers; the road safety training program, which will impact 300,000 young people starting in the 2025-2026 cycle; and other high-impact programs,” he said.

Regarding the follow-up on the government’s 10 priority goals, he cited the results of Enhogar 2024, which indicate that “the housing deficit decreased from 33.1% in 2022 to 25. 7% in 2024; the homicide rate in the first quarter of this year reached a historically low level of 7.8, bringing us closer to the target of 7.30 in 2028.”

He noted that the infant mortality rate fell from 18.4 in 2023 to 16.0 in 2024 and that the number of homes without connection to the electricity grid was reduced from 70,181 to 43,116 in one year.

Regarding the “Government in the Provinces” program, he said they identified 300 demands in areas such as transportation, education, health, and housing.

He said that in the coming days, they will announce measures to improve traffic.

They also discussed the goals for 2028, including improving life expectancy, reducing homicides, building more quality infrastructure, increasing per capita GDP, and formalizing employment.