Parents of Premature Babies May Have Their Birth Allowance Payments Extended
Parents of children born prematurely often have to spend the first weeks or even months of the child's life not at home, but in the hospital. It is during this period that families incur the greatest expenses for treatment, special nutrition, medicines, and rehabilitation. At the same time, the terms of payment of the state birth allowance for them do not differ from those applicable to families whose children were born on time. In this regard, the Cabinet of Ministers is urged to review the current procedure and introduce additional support mechanisms for families with prematurely born children.
For this purpose, petition No. 41/010345-26ep has been registered, proposing to change the procedure for assigning and paying birth allowance to families with prematurely born children.
Why it is proposed to review the current rules
Today, the state birth allowance is assigned according to uniform rules regardless of the birth term. According to the author of the appeal, this approach does not take into account the specifics of children born significantly earlier than the established term.
It is noted that prematurely born children often spend the first weeks or even months of life in intensive care and neonatal units. After discharge, they require long-term medical supervision, special nutrition, rehabilitation, and much more care.
Attention is also drawn to the fact that in medical practice, a corrected age is used to assess the development of premature children, which takes into account their developmental features. However, this feature is not considered when assigning state assistance.
According to the author, because of this, families with prematurely born children effectively have less time of state support precisely when the financial burden is greatest.
What changes are proposed for parents of premature children
The Cabinet of Ministers is asked to:
- develop and submit for approval amendments to regulatory legal acts regarding the payment of birth allowance;
- provide for families with prematurely born children an extension of the allowance payment period corresponding to the number of weeks or months of prematurity, or introduce another mechanism to compensate for this period;
- instruct the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine together with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to develop a mechanism for implementing such changes.
What the authors of the initiative emphasize
The appeal emphasizes that premature birth is not a choice of parents. Such families, as noted by the petition author, require increased attention and support from the state because they face significantly higher expenses for treatment, special nutrition, medicines, rehabilitation, and child care.
In this regard, the government is urged to support the initiative and ensure a fairer approach to state support for families raising prematurely born children.
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