Covid-19 restrictive control measures and maternal, sexual and reproductive health issues: Risk of a double tragedy for women in sub-Saharan Africa
Governments in sub-Saharan Africa implemented restrictive measures, including lockdowns, to curb the spread of COVID-19, without measures to protect women and girls. Evidence from previous humanitarian crises in resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa indicates that these populations may suffer disproportionately from the effects of the restrictive control measures, owing to differential access to services, including […]
Impact of a conditional cash transfer program aimed at promoting maternal and child health services in Kakamega County, Kenya
Introduction. The Kenyan government launched a free maternity program in 2013. Kakamega County Government supplemented this through a conditional cash transfer program targeting poor women. This was to facilitate their access to maternal and child health services. This study looked at the impact of this intervention. Methods. Deliveries, four antenatal attendances, and general antenatal attendance […]
Growth and growth trajectory among infants in early life: Contributions of food insecurity and water insecurity in rural Zimbabwe
Introduction Stunting or linear growth faltering, measured by length-for-age Z-score (LAZ), remains a significant public health challenge, particularly in rural low-income and middle-income countries. It is a marker of inadequate environments in which infants are born and raised. However, the contributions of household resource insecurities, such as food and water, to growth and growth trajectory […]
Development and testing of a composite index to monitor the continuum of maternal health service delivery at provincial and district level in South Africa
Introduction The continuum of care is a recommended framework for comprehensive health service delivery for maternal health, and it integrates health system and social determinants of health. There is a current lack of knowledge on a measurement approach to monitor performance on the framework. In this study we aim to develop and test a composite […]
Perceived barriers to maternal and newborn health services delivery: A qualitative study of health workers and community members in low and middle-income settings
Objectives In considering explanations for poor maternal and newborn health outcomes, many investigations have focused on the decision-making patterns and actions of expectant mothers and families, as opposed to exploring the â € supply side’ (health service provider) barriers. Thus, we examined the health system factors impacting on access to and delivery of quality maternal […]
Bottleneck analysis at district level to illustrate gaps within the district health system in Uganda
Background: Poor quality of care and access to effective and affordable interventions have been attributed to constraints and bottlenecks within and outside the health system. However, there is limited understanding of health system barriers to utilization and delivery of appropriate, highimpact, and cost-effective interventions at the point of service delivery in districts and sub-districts in […]
Intergenerational impacts of maternal mortality: Qualitative findings from rural Malawi
Background: Maternal mortality, although largely preventable, remains unacceptably high in developing countries such as Malawi and creates a number of intergenerational impacts. Few studies have investigated the far-reaching impacts of maternal death beyond infant survival. This study demonstrates the short- and long-term impacts of maternal death on children, families, and the community in order to […]
Care Decision Making of Frontline Providers of Maternal and Newborn Health Services in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana
Objectives: To explore the “how” and “why” of care decision making by frontline providers of maternal and newborn services in the Greater Accra region of Ghana and determine appropriate interventions needed to support its quality and related maternal and neonatal outcomes. Methods: A cross sectional and descriptive mixed method study involving a desk review of […]
Integrating PMTCT into maternal, newborn, and child health and related services: Experiences from the global plan priority countries
The urgency to scale-up sustainable programs for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) prompted priority countries of the Global Plan Toward the Elimination of New HIV Infections Among Children by 2015 and Keeping Their Mothers Alive (Global Plan) to expand the delivery of PMTCT services through greater integration with sexual and reproductive health […]
Impact of inter-facility transport on maternal mortality in the free state province
Aim. In December 2011, having identified inter-facility transport as a problem in the maternity service, the Free State Department of Health procured and issued 48 vehicles including 18 dedicated to maternity care. Subsequently, a sustained reduction in mortality was observed. We probed the role of inter-facility transport in effecting this reduction in mortality. Methods. A […]
