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 […]
Perceived barriers to maternal and newborn health services delivery: A qualitative study of health workers and community members in low and middle-income settings
Objectives In considering explanations for poor maternal and newborn health outcomes, many investigations have focused on the decision-making patterns and actions of expectant mothers and families, as opposed to exploring the â € supply side’ (health service provider) barriers. Thus, we examined the health system factors impacting on access to and delivery of quality maternal […]
Quality of antenatal care predicts retention in skilled birth attendance: A multilevel analysis of 28 African countries
Background: An effective continuum of maternal care ensures that mothers receive essential health packages from pre-pregnancy to delivery, and postnatally, reducing the risk of maternal death. However, across Africa, coverage of skilled birth attendance is lower than coverage for antenatal care, indicating mothers are not retained in the continuum between antenatal care and delivery. This […]
Bottleneck analysis at district level to illustrate gaps within the district health system in Uganda
Background: Poor quality of care and access to effective and affordable interventions have been attributed to constraints and bottlenecks within and outside the health system. However, there is limited understanding of health system barriers to utilization and delivery of appropriate, highimpact, and cost-effective interventions at the point of service delivery in districts and sub-districts in […]
Intergenerational impacts of maternal mortality: Qualitative findings from rural Malawi
Background: Maternal mortality, although largely preventable, remains unacceptably high in developing countries such as Malawi and creates a number of intergenerational impacts. Few studies have investigated the far-reaching impacts of maternal death beyond infant survival. This study demonstrates the short- and long-term impacts of maternal death on children, families, and the community in order to […]
Impact of inter-facility transport on maternal mortality in the free state province
Aim. In December 2011, having identified inter-facility transport as a problem in the maternity service, the Free State Department of Health procured and issued 48 vehicles including 18 dedicated to maternity care. Subsequently, a sustained reduction in mortality was observed. We probed the role of inter-facility transport in effecting this reduction in mortality. Methods. A […]
Monitoring Maternity Mortality in Botswana
This paper describes the maternity monitoring system in Botswana, developed in 1998, and the main methods used: maternal death and morbidity reviews at service delivery level, analysis by the National Maternal Mortality Audit Committee of data from the reviews as reported on two forms, perinatal reviews and surveys using process indicators. We carried out a […]
Barriers to reporting postpartum hemorrhage at different levels of healthcare facilities in Nigeria: A qualitative study
Background: Maternal mortality reduction remains a world health priority. One of the causes of maternal death is bleeding after childbirth. However, little is known regarding barriers to reporting for postpartum hemorrhage care among postnatal women in Nigeria. Objective: This research aimed to understand the perceived barriers to reporting postpartum hemorrhage care experienced by women and […]
Experiences of mothers with antenatal, delivery and postpartum care in rural Gambia.
Over the last two decades, the maternal mortality ratio appears to have fallen by up to 50% in the Farafenni, a rural area of The Gambia. This reduction almost certainly reflects improvements in access to essential obstetric services. The ratio, however, is still 50 times higher than in Western and Northern Europe or North America. […]
