Are social franchises contributing to universal access to reproductive health services in low-income countries?
A social franchise in health is a network of for-profit private health practitioners linked through contracts to provide socially beneficial services under a common brand. The early 21st century has seen considerable donor enthusiasm for promoting social franchises for the provision of reproductive health services. Based on a compendium of descriptive information on 45 clinical […]
Maternal near-miss surveillance, Namibia
Objective To analyse and improve the Namibian maternity care system by implementing maternal near-miss surveillance during 1 October 2018 and 31 March 2019, and identifying the challenges and benefits of such data collection. Methods From the results of an initial feasibility study, we adapted the World Health Organization’s criteria defining a maternal near miss to […]
HIV-exposed but uninfected children: Why are they vulnerable?
Globally, approximately 2.8 million children per year are born to HIV-infected women. Improved access to antiretrovirals for both prevention of mother-to-child transmission and maternal treatment results in increasing numbers of HIV-uninfected children living with their HIV-infected mothers. There is increasing evidence for poorer health in these children due to the direct effect of HIV itself […]
Reproducing neglect in the place of care: Normalised violence within Cape Town Midwifery Obstetric Units
Access to quality maternal health care within South Africa is strongly determined by where a woman lives and her socioeconomic positioning. Through an analysis of experiences shared by nurses and midwives working within Midwifery Obstetric Units (MOUs) within Cape Town, this article considers how the South African health system maintains and reproduces gendered inequalities. The […]
Improving maternal care through a state-wide health insurance program: A cost and cost-effectiveness study in rural Nigeria
Background While the Nigerian government has made progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, further investments are needed to achieve the targets of post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, including Universal Health Coverage. Economic evaluations of innovative interventions can help inform investment decisions in resource-constrained settings. We aim to assess the cost and cost-effectiveness of maternal care provided […]
Delays in emergency obstetric referrals in Addis Ababa hospitals in Ethiopia: a facility-based, cross-sectional study
OBJECTIVE: To assess where the delays occur in the referral chain of most maternal health outcomes in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, based on the three-delay model. DESIGN: The study was a facility-based, cross-sectional study. SETTING: Two public and tertiary hospitals in Addis Ababa. PARTICIPANTS: All pregnant women who were referred only for labour and delivery services […]
Pastoralism and antenatal care service utilization in Dubti District, Afar, Ethiopia, 2015: A cross-sectional study
Health service utilization among pastoralists in Ethiopia is not well documented. Available data are very few and institution-based. Health services are particularly inadequate and poorly equipped, being scarce, inaccessible, and inappropriate to the pastoralist way of life. Effective antenatal care (ANC) use has been shown to influence women’s use of maternal health services, probably the […]
Viability of an urban maternity waiting home in Kumasi, Ghana: A qualitative needs assessment
Background: Maternity waiting homes, usually located in rural, low-resource settings, may increase access to skilled care during delivery and ultimately improve maternal-newborn outcomes. Although there are studies exploring maternity waiting homes in rural settings, little is known about interest in and viability of maternity waiting home use in urban environments. Objective: The purpose of this […]
Prenatal care in the city of Marrakech
The data reported here come from a survey conducted in 2008, in direct interviews, according to a standard questionnaire, of 1712 women visiting 15 health centers in Marrakech. We selected 1202 women who gave birth during the past five years to examine the impact of socioeconomic and biodemographic determinants on access to prenatal care in […]
Twelve month follow-up of a contraceptive implant outreach service in rural Papua New Guinea
Background: Poor access to contraception contributes to persistently high maternal mortality rates in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Since 2012 contraceptive implants have been provided to women in rural areas of PNG through outreach services but follow-up data in these communities on continuation and acceptability is lacking. Objective: To gain insight into women’s experience with contraceptive […]
