Increasing women’s access to skilled pregnancy care to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality in rural Edo State, Nigeria: a randomized controlled trial
Background: Nigeria presently has the second highest absolute number of maternal deaths and perinatal deaths (stillbirth and neonatal deaths) in the world. The country accounts for up to 14% of global maternal deaths and is second only to India in the number of women who die during childbirth. Although all parts of the country are […]
Overcoming barriers to access and utilization of maternal, newborn and child health services in northern Nigeria: An evaluation of facility health committees
Background: Poor quality of health services and socio-cultural dynamics may severely limit utilization of health services. Facility health committees were established in several states in northern Nigeria to reduce these barriers. The committees were charged with mobilizing communities, improving quality of health services, and promoting utilization of maternal and child health services. This study assessed […]
Experiences of using the toll-free telephone line to access maternal and newborn health services in central Uganda: a qualitative study
Objectives: Save the Mothers (STM) operates the toll-free telephone line (TFL) service in nine health facilities in Uganda. The TFL is influential in addressing the first and second delays in seeking care as it connects vulnerable mothers to health facilities at no cost. This study aimed at exploring the experiences of health workers and community […]
Access and utilization of maternal healthcare in a rural district in the forest belt of Ghana
Background: Poor maternal health delivery in developing countries results in more than half a million maternal deaths during pregnancy, childbirth or within a few weeks of delivery. This is partly due to unavailability and low utilization of maternal healthcare services in limited-resource settings. The aim of this study was to investigate the access and utilization […]
Barriers and facilitators of access to maternal services for women with disabilities: Scoping review protocol
Background: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasises the increasing equitable coverage of quality health care and provision of integrated services as means of reducing maternal mortality. Despite so much effort being placed on improved access to maternity health care, studies show that women with disabilities are being systemically excluded from the mainstream maternal health services. […]
Gender dynamics affecting maternal health and health care access and use in Uganda
Despite its reduction over the last decade, the maternal mortality rate in Uganda remains high, due to in part a lack of access to maternal health care. In an effort to increase access to care, a quasi-experimental trial using vouchers was implemented in Eastern Uganda between 2009 and 2011. Findings from the trial reported a […]
Exploring inequalities in access to and use of maternal health services in South Africa
Background: South Africas maternal mortality rate (625 deaths/100,000 live births) is high for a middle-income country, although over 90% of pregnant women utilize maternal health services. Alongside HIV/AIDS, barriers to Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric Care currently impede the countrys Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. While health system barriers to […]
Geographic Access and Maternal Health Services Utilization in Sélingué Health District, Mali
Introduction: Maternal mortality is one of the main causes of death for women of childbearing age in Mali, and improving this outcome is slow, even in regions with relatively good geographic access to care. Disparities in maternal health services utilization can constitute a major obstacle in the reduction of maternal mortality in Mali and indicates a […]
Seasonal variation in geographical access to maternal health services in regions of southern Mozambique
Background: Geographic proximity to health facilities is a known determinant of access to maternal care. Methods of quantifying geographical access to care have largely ignored the impact of precipitation and flooding. Further, travel has largely been imagined as unimodal where one transport mode is used for entire journeys to seek care. This study proposes a […]
Disparities in mobile phone access and maternal health service utilization in Nigeria: A population-based survey
Background: Mobile communication technologies may reduce maternal health disparities related to cost, distance, and infrastructure. However, the ability of mHealth initiatives to accelerate maternal health goals requires in part that women with the greatest health needs have access to mobile phones. Objective: This study examined if women with limited mobile phone access have differential odds […]
