Beginning June 1st this year, the Ministry of Health of the Royal Government of Cambodia is implementing a cash transfer scheme for pregnant women from families with an ID Poor card (through Cambodia’s poverty identification and registration system) to further improve maternal and child health outcomes in Cambodia, including reducing mortality.
Under the scheme, pregnant women will receive cash support in three stages. In the first stage, pregnant women will receive cash support of 40,000 riel (10 USD) up to four times when they come for antenatal care visits. After delivery in a health facility, new mothers will be given an additional one-time payment of 200,000 riel (50 USD). In the final stage, mothers will be given 40,000 riel up to 10 times each for post-delivery check-ups for themselves and their babies until their children are two-years-old. The scheme is designed to encourage pregnant women and mothers to seek the health services they need for themselves and their children, while also providing further income support to reduce poverty. While the cash transfer applies only to women from families with an ID Poor card (who will also receive health services without user fees under the Health Equity Fund), the Ministry of Health has also taken the opportunity to integrate all essential health services during the antenatal, delivery and early childhood period (“the first 1000 days”) into a single package that will be promoted to all Cambodian families.
This initiative is a further reflection of the commitment of the Royal Government of Cambodia towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and increasing social protection, through social assistance for poverty reduction and increasing equitable access to quality services for maternal, newborn and child health.