How ready is the system to deliver primary healthcare? Results of a primary health facility assessment in Enugu State, Nigeria
Primary health centres are an effective means of achieving access to primary healthcare (PHC) in low- and middle-income countries. We assessed service availability, service readiness and factors influencing service delivery at public PHC centres in Enugu State, Nigeria. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 60 randomly selected public health centres in Enugu using the World […]
Lack of head sparing following third-trimester caloric restriction among Tanzanian Maasai
The reduction of food intake during pregnancy is part of many cultural and religious traditions around the world. The impact of such practices on fetal growth and development are poorly understood. Here, we examined the patterns of diet intake among Maasai pregnant women and assessed their effect on newborn morphometrics. We recruited 141 mother-infant pairs […]
Contribution of community-based newborn health promotion to reducing inequities in healthy newborn care practices and knowledge: Evidence of improvement from a three-district pilot program in Malawi
Background: Inequities in both health status and coverage of health services are considered important barriers to achieving Millennium Development Goal 4. Community-based health promotion is a strategy that is believed to reduce inequities in rural low-income settings. This paper examines the contributions of community-based programming to improving the equity of newborn health in three districts […]
Causes of maternal deaths and delays in care: Comparison between routine maternal death surveillance and response system and an obstetrician expert panel in Tanzania
Background: To reduce maternal mortality Tanzania introduced Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR) system in 2015 as recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). All health facilities are to notify and review all maternal deaths inorder to recommend quality improvement actions to reduce deaths in future. The system relies on consistent and correct categorization of causes […]
Quality of care and maternal mortality in a tertiary-level hospital in Mozambique: a retrospective study of clinicopathological discrepancies
Background: Although an increasing number of pregnant women in resource-limited areas deliver in health-care facilities, maternal mortality remains high in these settings. Inadequate diagnosis and management of common life-threatening conditions is an important determinant of maternal mortality. We analysed the clinicopathological discrepancies in a series of maternal deaths from Mozambique and assessed changes over 10 […]
Contribution of portable obstetric ultrasound service innovation in averting maternal and neonatal morbidities and mortalities at semi-urban health centers of Ethiopia: a retrospective facility-based study
Background: The maternal and neonatal mortalities in Ethiopia are high. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, innovations in ultrasound scanning and surveillance activities have been implemented at health centers for over 2 years. This study aims to estimate the contribution of obstetric ultrasound services on averted maternal and neonatal morbidities and mortalities in Ethiopia. Methods: […]
Determinants of maternal near miss events among women admitted to tertiary hospitals in Mogadishu, Somalia: a facility-based case–control study
Background: A maternal near-miss is a situation in which a woman was on the verge of death but survived a life-threatening obstetric complication that happened during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days after the pregnancy’s termination. Survivors of near-miss events share several features with mothers who have died and identifying determinants of maternal near miss will […]
Effect of integrated nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific intervention package on maternal malnutrition among pregnant women in Rwanda
Maternal undernutrition remains a major public health concern in Rwanda despite significant gains and progress. An integration of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions was implemented in five districts of Rwanda to improve maternal and child nutrition. The package included nutrition education and counselling, promotion of agricultural productivity, promotion of financial literacy/economic resilience and provision of Water, Hygiene and […]
Health and socio-demographic profile of women of reproductive age in rural communities of southern Mozambique
Reliable statistics on maternal morbidity and mortality are scarce in low and middle-income countries, especially in rural areas. This is the case in Mozambique where many births happen at home. Furthermore, a sizeable number of facility births have inadequate registration. Such information is crucial for developing effective national and global health policies for maternal and […]
‘We saw she was in danger, but couldn’t do anything’: Missed opportunities and health worker disempowerment during birth care in rural Burkina Faso
Background: Facility-based births have been promoted as the main strategy to reduce maternal and neonatal death risks at global scale. To improve birth outcomes, it is critical that health facilities provide quality care. Using a framework to assess quality of care, this paper examines health workers’ perceptions about access to facility birth; the effectiveness of […]
