The effect of birth preparedness and complication readiness on skilled care use: A prospective follow-up study in Southwest Ethiopia
Background: Skilled care during and immediately after delivery has been identified as one of the key strategies in reducing maternal mortality. However, recent estimates show that the status of skilled care during delivery remained very low in Ethiopia. Birth preparedness and complication readiness has been implemented as comprehensive strategy to fill this gap. However, its […]
Determinants and causes of neonatal mortality in jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: A multilevel analysis of prospective follow up study
Background: Ethiopia is among the countries with the highest neonatal mortality with the rate of 37 deaths per 1000 live births. In spite of many efforts by the government and other partners, non-significant decline has been achieved in the last 15 years. Thus, identifying the determinants and causes are very crucial for policy and program […]
Who benefits from increased service utilisation? Examining the distributional effects of payment for performance in Tanzania
Background: Payment for performance (P4P) strategies, which provide financial incentives to health workers and/or facilities for reaching pre-defined performance targets, can improve healthcare utilisation and quality. P4P may also reduce inequalities in healthcare use and access by enhancing universal access to care, for example, through reducing the financial barriers to accessing care. However, P4P may […]
Narratives on why pregnant women delay seeking maternal health care during delivery and obstetric complications in rural Ghana
Background: Despite the many maternal healthcare policy programmes in Ghana such as free the antenatal care (ANC) and the fee-exemption policy under the National Health Insurance Scheme, among others, the country has yet to make substantial improvements in addressing low skilled care utilisation in pregnancy and delivery. From previous studies, maternal mortality has been linked […]
Magnitude and Factors Associated with Late Initiation of Antenatal Care Booking on First Visit Among Women in Rural Parts of Ethiopia
Background: Early antenatal care visits enhance early detection and treatment of pregnancy problems, resulting in optimal delivery management. This study aimed to assess the late initiation of antenatal care visits among pregnant women in rural parts of Ethiopia. Methods: A 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey provided the data for this study and a population-based […]
Neonatal tetanus immunity in Nigeria: The effect of HIV infection on serum levels and transplacental transfer of antibodies
Background. Tetanus toxoid immunisation of pregnant mother has remained the most effective strategy in eliminating neonatal tetanus. Impaired production and/or transplacental transfer of antibodies may affect the effectiveness of this strategy. We studied the effect of maternal HIV infection on serum levels and transplacental transfer of anti-tetanus antibodies. Methods. A total of 162 mother-baby paired […]
‘It needs a complete overhaul…’ district manager perspectives on the capacity of the health system to support the delivery of emergency obstetric care in an urban South African district
Background: A high maternal mortality ratio persists in South Africa despite developments in emergency obstetric care (EmOC), a known effective intervention against direct causes of maternal deaths. Strengthening the health systems is one of the focus areas identified by the National Committee for Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in South Africa. District managers as immediate […]
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the availability of maternal and child health products and childhood vaccines
Background: In many low- and middle-income countries, the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has challenged efforts to ensure access to and availability of quality maternal, newborn, and child health (MCH) services and essential MCH commodities. Objectives: This study evaluated the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the availability of maternal and child health products and childhood vaccines […]
Barriers to husbands’ involvement in maternal health care in Sidama zone, Southern Ethiopia: A qualitative study
Background: Husbands’ involvement in maternal care is considered as a crucial step in scaling up women’s utilization of the services. However, the factors related with how husband’s involvement in maternal health care have hardly been studied to date in the study areas. Therefore, this study aimed to explore barriers to husbands’ involvement in maternal health […]
Health care in pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic and pregnancy outcomes in six low- and-middle-income countries: Evidence from a prospective, observational registry of the Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health
Objective: To assess, on a population basis, the medical care for pregnant women in specific geographic regions of six countries before and during the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in relationship to pregnancy outcomes. Design: Prospective, population-based study. Setting: Communities in Kenya, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, India […]
