President Danilo Medina has issued an administrative memo to all government agencies instructing them to fill vacancies with personnel from within their ranks. The order makes exceptions for the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Education when doctors and teachers are pensioned off. The measure cites the President’s decision to use every means possible to reduce spending and save money. According to the Ministry of Public Administration, there are some 450,000 public employees of whom 270,000 work in central government and the rest in decentralized institutions.