Challenges women with disability face in accessing and using maternal healthcare services in Ghana: A qualitative study
Background: While a number of studies have examined the factors affecting accessibility to and utilisation of healthcare services by persons with disability in general, there is little evidence about disabled women’s access to maternal health services in low-income countries and few studies consult disabled women themselves to understand their experience of care and the challenges […]
Maternal mortality in Libreville, Gabon: Assessment and challenges
Objective: To analyze the course over time of the rates and causes of maternal mortality in Libreville, Gabon. Material and methods: This prospective descriptive study covers the 6-year period from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2006. It was performed at the Libreville Hospital Center (LCH) maternity ward, the leading obstetrical care facility in the […]
Maternal nutrition in rural Kenya: Health and socio-demographic determinants and its association with child nutrition
High levels of food insecurity and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection place most breastfeeding mothers in Kenya at high risk of malnutrition. We examined the role of selected socio-economic, demographic and health factors as determinants of nutritional status among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected mothers in rural Kenya and further examined the interrelationship between maternal nutritional and […]
“the system here isn’t on patients’ side”- perspectives of women and men on the barriers to accessing and utilizing maternal healthcare services in South Sudan
Background: In fragile and war-affected setting such as South Sudan, a combination of physical environmental, socioeconomic factors and healthcare’s characteristic contributes to higher rates of home delivery attended by unskilled attendants. This study aims to understand the community members’ experience, perceptions and the barriers in relation to accessing and utilizing maternal healthcare services in South […]
Availability and affordability of priority lifesaving maternal health medicines in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Background: Access to life-saving medicines for maternal health remains a major challenge in numerous developing nations. Periodic and continuous assessment of access to lifesaving commodities is of enormous importance to measure progress and ensure sustainable supply. This study aimed to assess the availability and affordability of priority lifesaving maternal medicines in Addis Ababa in January […]
Poor quality for poor women? Inequities in the quality of antenatal and delivery care in Kenya
Background: Quality of healthcare is an important determinant of future progress in global health. However, the distributional aspects of quality of care have received inadequate attention. We assessed whether high quality maternal care is equitably distributed by (1) mapping the quality of maternal care in facilities located in poorer versus wealthier areas of Kenya; and […]
Mortalidade em recém-nascidos de baixo peso ao nascer: Limites e desafios para o acesso universal
Objective: To analyze neonatal mortality of newborns with low birth weight from Angola and the limits of and challenges for the promotion of universal access to health in local context. Method: This is a descriptive retrospective study based on secondary data of hospital records of 2,100 low-birth-weight infants in Angola from 2007 to 2013. Results: […]
Completion of the maternal continuum of care and its association with antenatal care attendance during previous pregnancy among women in rural areas of the Gurage Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study
Objective The maternal continuum of care is a cost-effective intervention to prevent pregnancy and childbirth-related maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of completion of the maternal continuum of care and its association with antenatal care (ANC) attendance during previous pregnancy among women in rural kebeles of Gurage Zone, […]
Local level inequalities in the use of hospital-based maternal delivery in rural South Africa
Background: There is global concern with geographical and socio-economic inequalities in access to and use of maternal delivery services. Little is known, however, on how local-level socio-economic inequalities are related to the uptake of needed maternal health care. We conducted a study of relative socio-economic inequalities in use of hospital-based maternal delivery services within two […]
Accessibility and Utilisation of Maternal Health Services by Migrant Female Head Porters in Accra
Accessibility to maternal health care by marginalised groups, such as poor migrant women, has remained an issue of concern in Ghana. While a number of studies have been conducted on the livelihoods of migrant female head porters (Kayayei) in cities in Southern Ghana, there is little understanding of their accessibility and utilisation of maternal health […]
