Maternal and newborn health priority setting partnership in rural Uganda in association with the James Lind Alliance: A study protocol
Background: Maternal and newborn deaths and ill health are relatively common in low income countries, but can adequately be addressed through locally, collaboratively designed, and responsive research. This has the potential to enable the affected women, their families and health workers themselves to explore ‘why maternal and newborn adverse outcomes continue to occur. The objectives […]
The right of access to healthcare: an analysis of how legal and institutional frameworks constrain or facilitate access to healthcare for residents in border areas in the East African Community
Background: Despite many countries working hard to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Health-related Sustainable Development Goals, access to healthcare services has remained a challenge for communities residing along national borders in the East Africa Community (EAC). Unlike the communities in the interior, those along national borders are more likely to face access barriers […]
Quality of routine facility data for monitoring priority maternal and newborn indicators in DHIS2: A case study from Gombe State, Nigeria
Introduction Routine health information systems are critical for monitoring service delivery. District Heath Information System, version 2 (DHIS2) is an open source software platform used in more than 60 countries, on which global initiatives increasingly rely for such monitoring. We used facility-reported data in DHIS2 for Gombe State, north-eastern Nigeria, to present a case study […]
Progress and priorities for reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health in Kenya: a Countdown to 2015 country case study
Background Progress in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) in Kenya has been inconsistent over the past two decades, despite the global push to foster accountability, reduce child mortality, and improve maternal health in an equitable manner. Although several cross-sectional assessments have been done, a systematic analysis of RMNCH in Kenya was needed to […]
The status of maternal and newborn health care services in Zanzibar
Background: It is estimated that 287,000 women worldwide die annually from pregnancy and childbirth-related conditions, and 6.9 million under-five children die each year, of which about 3 million are newborns. Most of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. The maternal health situation in Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar is similar to other sub-Saharan countries. This study […]
Stakeholders perceptions regarding implementing maternal and newborn health care programs in Rwanda
Background: While maternal and newborn deaths has been decreasing since 2008 in Rwanda, there is room for improvement to meet its sustainable development goals. The maternal and newborn health care program needs to be monitored to ensure its effective implementation. This study therefore aimed to explore stakeholder’s perceptions of the Rwandan maternal and newborn health […]
An assessment of out of pocket payments in public sector health facilities under the free maternal healthcare policy in Ghana
Background: The free maternal healthcare policy was introduced in Ghana in 2008 under the national health insurance scheme as a social intervention to improve access to maternal health services. This study investigated the prevalence of out of pocket (OOP) payment among pregnant women with valid national health insurance who sought skilled delivery services at public […]
Spatiotemporal distribution and bivariate binary analysis of antenatal and delivery care utilizations in Ethiopia: EDHS 2000–2016
Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is a maternal health care service given by skilled health professionals to pregnant women. Women may give birth at home or in health institutions. Home delivery care (DC) increases the likelihood of mortality of the mother and the newborn. Globally, each year nearly 303,000 maternal deaths occurred from complications of pregnancy […]
The first 2 h after birth: prevalence and factors associated with neonatal care practices from a multicountry, facility-based, observational study
Background: Amid efforts to improve the quality of care for women and neonates during childbirth, there is growing interest in the experience of care, including respectful care practices. However, there is little research on the prevalence of practices that might constitute mistreatment of neonates. This study aims to describe the care received by neonates up […]
Integration of postpartum care into child health and immunization services in Burkina Faso: Findings from a cross-sectional study
Background: The Missed Opportunities for Maternal and Infant Health (MOMI) project, which aimed at upgrading maternal and infant postpartum care (PPC), implemented a package of interventions including the integration of maternal PPC in infant immunization services in 12 health facilities in Kaya Health district in Burkina Faso from 2013 to 2015. This paper assesses the […]
