As the 2020 Mongolian State Budget is being discussed, there is outrage that lawmakers are forgetting about human lives.

Every year, 4400 people die of cancer. Mongolia only has one Cancer Centre; its director, J.Chinburen, is begging the government to approve MNT 19.8 billion in the 2020 budget to continue fighting the disease.

But, Ch.Khurelbaatar, the finance minister, has said that this funding allocation will not be available. Clearly, the government has other priorities…

A much larger sum, than the Cancer Centre request – MNT 140 billion, to be precise – is being proposed in the budget for developing tourism in Khentii Province. As part of the Khentii development, the government plans to construct a number of monuments. Remembering Mongolia’s heroic past is fine – but, what about the health of its people today?