A proposal for government to provide financial assistance to struggling pregnant women, as opposed to waiting until a child is born, is gaining traction.
Advocating for this is Susan Goldstein, an associate professor at the South African Medical Research Council Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science – PRICELESS SA (Priority Cost Effective Lessons in Systems Strengthening South Africa).
Citing health benefits for both mother and child, Goldstein alongside health economist Dr Aisha Moolla stated in a recent op-ed that the government would also save money in the long run as children will be born healthier.
In South Africa, more than one third (35%) of pregnant women run out of money to buy food, and one quarter of them (25%) experience hunger, according to Goldstein.
She added that the monetary savings of extending the grant through pregnancy amount to R31 200 per child and a total saving of R31.3 billion.
Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town senior legal researcher, Paula Proudlock, said working women become more vulnerable to loss of income during pregnancy and after birth, especially contract workers and those in the informal sector.
“Providing income support to pregnant women to ensure they can eat healthily and afford the transport costs to attend regular health visits for their pregnancy will have long-term health benefits for both the women and the children, which in turn will result in long-term benefits for the country and economy.”
Proudlock recommended that the grant is made available from the second trimester as most miscarriages happen in the first trimester.
“Cancelling income support at the same time that a woman has lost her baby would be detrimental to her mental health and her ability to continue to care for her other children.”
Department of Social Development spokesperson Lumka Oliphant said the department has been on the path to include maternal benefits.
“This is actually our policy that has been consulted extensively. We are now in the process of going to Cabinet for approval to gazette for public comments.”
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za