Women’s perspectives on quality of maternal health care services in Malawi
Despite promotion by many stakeholders to improve maternal health outcome in many developing countries including Malawi, many analysts agree that the utmost success in maternal health will arise if maternal health care services are an unparallel led source for women’s health care solutions for any problem related to childbirth. Health advocates worldwide claim that even […]
The what’s, where’s and why’s of miscarriage: evidence from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey
Objectives: Miscarriage remains a significant public health challenge in most low- and middle-income settings, including Ghana. We thus examined the sociodemographic and maternal characteristics associated with miscarriage in Ghana using the 2017 Maternal Health Survey dataset. Study design: This was a cross-sectional quantitative study. Methods: We quantitatively analysed Ghana Maternal and Health Survey dataset. Demographic […]
Assessing the reliability of phone surveys to measure reproductive, maternal and child health knowledge among pregnant women in rural India: A feasibility study
Objectives Efforts to understand the factors influencing the uptake of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition (RMNCH&N) services in high disease burden low-resource settings have often focused on face-to-face surveys or direct observations of service delivery. Increasing access to mobile phones has led to growing interest in phone surveys as a rapid, low-cost alternatives […]
The role of telemedicine in addressing access to sexual and reproductive health services in sub-saharan africa during the covid-19 pandemic
The outbreak of COVID-19 threatens continued access to non-urgent healthcare including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. With the epicentre of the outbreak projected to shift to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) after making significant impact in China, Europe, USA, and South America, it is necessary for countries in this region to begin to plan for how […]
The importance of evaluating primary midwifery care for improving the health of women and infants
In most countries, maternal and newborn care is fragmented and focused on identification and treatment of pathology that affects only the minority of women and babies. Recently, a framework for quality maternal and newborn care was developed, which encourages a system-level shift to provide skilled care for all. This care includes preventive and supportive care […]
Impact of free maternal health care policy on maternal health care utilization and perinatal mortality in Ghana: protocol design for historical cohort study
Background: Ghana introduced what has come to be known as the ‘Free’ Maternal Health Care Policy (FMHCP) in 2008 via the free registration of pregnant women to the National Health Insurance Scheme to access healthcare free of charge. The policy targeted every pregnant woman in Ghana with a full benefits package covering comprehensive maternal healthcare. […]
Gastroschisis in Uganda: Opportunities for improved survival
Purpose Neonatal mortality from gastroschisis in sub-Saharan Africa is high, while in high-income countries, mortality is less than 5%. The purpose of this study was to describe the maternal and neonatal characteristics of gastroschisis in Uganda, estimate the mortality and elucidate opportunities for intervention. Methods An ethics-approved, prospective cohort study was conducted over a one-year […]
The effect of distance to health facility on neonatal mortality in Ethiopia
Introduction: In Ethiopia, more than half of newborn babies do not have access to Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EmONC) services. Understanding the effect of distance to health facilities on service use and neonatal survival is crucial to recommend policymakers and improving resource distribution. We aimed to investigate the effect of distance to health services […]
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 […]
