Region Two mothers get $100,000 newborn cash grants
Welcoming a newborn has gotten easier for parents in Region Two, as the Ministry of Health began distributing the newborn cash grant on Friday, offering much-needed financial relief to families.
The grant, amounting to $100,000 per baby, was launched nationally on March 8 by His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali.
It provides parents with a portion of the financial package they need to ensure a child’s wholesome development.
Several parents turned up to benefit from the initiative at the Suddie Hospital.
Angelina Permansingh and Richard Ramdeen explained how the assistance will help offset expenses that will be used to take care of the child.
“It’s a great initiative, especially for those families that are not well off. For my family it would help offset expenses…you need formula and pampers and so on,” Permansingh told the Department of Public Information (DPI).
Her husband said, “It will help with travel expenses because you have to be up and down so at least this is going to help put back something in your pocket.”
Madonna Smith has just given birth to her third child. She spoke about the weight that has been lifted off her shoulders as a result of the government’s new cash grant initiative.
“It is a good initiative and now it will be easier for me…I will put my money to good use to buy things for the baby like pampers and so on,” she said.
Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony launched the initiative in the region. He explained that the programme is aligned with the government’s plans to build prosperity countrywide.
“There are lots of opportunities for the children to have a better future than what we had. That’s what this government wants to do. We want to make sure that the prosperity that the country is experiencing…is given to all our people across the country,” he said.
Not only is the government building that prosperity through direct cash transfers, but through an investment in infrastructure that is critical for building a healthy nation as well, Dr Anthony stated.
A Paediatric and Maternal Hospital is currently under construction in Ogle along the East Coast of Demerara. This facility will provide world-class care to mothers and children across Guyana.
The health minister also pointed to the new state-of-the-art Lima Regional Hospital that will be opened in a few months.
“We’re making it even better on the coast here, because at the new hospital…you will also have a birthing suite, you will have a special section for pregnant women, and even if you have a premature baby, there will be a neonatal unit that will take care of these premature babies,” he explained.
Minister Anthony urged the parents to take full advantage of the healthcare opportunities that are made available by the government.
The $100,000 newborn cash grant is estimated to cost the treasury some $1.3 billion annually.
