A month after its launch, over 6,300 mothers nationwide have registered with the health ministry’s “Accelerating Maternal and Child Health Programme”. This initiative provides vulnerable mothers with children under two years old a monthly incentive of Nu 1,500 through the programme’s Conditional Cash Transfer scheme. It aims to encourage mothers to access healthcare services.
The Accelerating Maternal and Child Health Programme aims to enhance mother and child health, especially during the first 1000 Golden Days of life.
The programme has various schemes, among which is the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme. According to the health ministry, out of those registered, about 4,820 mothers qualified for the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme.
Conditional Cash Transfer schemes are a type of social assistance programme where cash payments are given to households after fulfilling certain requirements.
“Our objective is to support mothers and children in rural places. However, we have observed that most registered individuals come from urban areas. Nevertheless, we are still in the process of registration,” said Sangay Tenzin, the project manager of AMCHP.
However, funds have yet to be disbursed to all eligible mothers. The ministry stated that the money would be distributed once all formalities were completed.
Sangay Tenzin said, “We are in discussions with the finance ministry to facilitate the disbursement of money without requiring a taxpayer number. This change will allow us to transfer the funds directly to the mothers’ accounts.”
Since its launch, the project has encountered a few challenges. According to healthcare officials, some eligible women were mistakenly deemed ineligible due to questionnaire responses.
The project uses a 20-question assessment to determine eligibility. The ministry is working to address this issue through advocacy.
The programme, worth USD 2.87 M, is funded by the Japan Social Development Fund through the World Bank.
Singye Dema
Edited by Kipchu
