Referral patterns through the lens of health facility readiness to manage obstetric complications: National facility-based results from Ghana
Introduction: Countries with high maternal and newborn mortality can benefit from national facility level data that describe intra-facility emergency referral patterns for major obstetric complications. This paper assesses the relationship between referral and facilities’ readiness to treat complications at each level of the health system in Ghana. We also investigate other facility characteristics associated with […]
Determinants of dietary diversity and its relationship with the nutritional status of pregnant women
There is little information regarding factors that determine dietary diversity among pregnant women in Ghana. The present study, therefore, sought to assess the independent predictors of dietary diversity and its relationship with nutritional status of pregnant women in the Northern Region of Ghana. The present study was an analytical cross-sectional survey involving 423 pregnant women […]
Human resources for health and universal health coverage: Fostering equity and effective coverage
Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves distributing resources, especially human resources for health (HRH), to match population needs. This paper explores the policy lessons on HRH from four countries that have achieved sustained improvements in UHC: Brazil, Ghana, Mexico and Thailand. Its purpose is to inform global policy and financial commitments on HRH in support […]
Pathways Utilized for Antenatal Health Seeking Among Women in the Ga East District, Ghana
BACKGROUND: Ghana’s maternal mortality ratio has been declining over the last two decades but at a rather slow pace. Poor access to effective maternity care is identified as one of the key challenges of maternity care. The current study mapped out the pathways to pregnancy care seeking among urban-dwelling adult women in a peri-urban district […]
Effects of computerized decision support on maternal and neonatal health-worker performance in the context of combined implementation with performance-based incentivisation in Upper East Region, Ghana: a qualitative study of professional perspectives
Background: Computerized decision support systems (CDSS) and performance-based incentives (PBIs) can improve health-worker performance. However, there is minimal evidence on the combined effects of these interventions or perceived effects among maternal and child healthcare providers in low-resource settings. We thus aimed to explore the perceptions of maternal and child healthcare providers of CDSS support in […]
Using quality improvement methods to test and scale up a new national policy on early post-natal care in Ghana
Introduction The first week of life presents the greatest risk of dying for a young infant. Yet, due to the sociocultural, financial, geographical and health system barriers found in many resource-poor settings, infants do not access health care until much later. To reduce neonatal mortality, the Ghana Health Service proposed a new policy that promotes […]
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 […]
Process Evaluation of Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition Improvement Project (MCHNP) in the Eastern Region of Ghana: A Case Study of Selected Districts
Background. Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition improvement Project is a World Bank-funded project implemented in all then ten regions of Ghana, which aims at improving access and utilization of community-based maternal, child health, and nutrition services in order to accelerate progress. This study is aimed at determining the implementation status of the project in the […]
Descriptive epidemiology of anaemia among pregnant women initiating antenatal care in rural Northern Ghana
Background: Anaemia in pregnancy is associated with adverse obstetric outcomes. When detected early in pregnancy, it can be treated; however, information on its prevalence and associated factors is limited in rural Ghana. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and maternal factors associated with anaemia in pregnancy at first antenatal care […]
Geographical access to care at birth in Ghana: A barrier to safe motherhood
Background: Appropriate facility-based care at birth is a key determinant of safe motherhood but geographical access remains poor in many high burden regions. Despite its importance, geographical access is rarely audited systematically, preventing integration in national-level maternal health system assessment and planning. In this study, we develop a uniquely detailed set of spatially-linked data and […]
