“We should understand that the most economical kind of health expenditure we can make is the one that improves the health and environment of children, from pre-natal life to the time of early schooling. Few medical problems are more underaftended than this one...”

—Dr. Donald Kennedy, professor of biology and president, Stanford University

Isabelle
social worker, France

In France, the government spends money to save money, based on the belief that a baby born healthy costs less in the long run.

A pregnant woman is given incentives to go for pre-natal care: if she goes for check-ups during her pregnancy, she gets a financial bonus when her baby is born. A woman even comes to her home, helps with the baby and the shopping and the housework.