Open AccessAccess barriers to maternal healthcare services in selected hard-to-reach areas of Zambia: a mixed methods design
Author(s) -
Chris Mweemba,
Miriam Mapulanga,
Choolwe Jacobs,
Patricia Katowa-Mukwato,
Margaret Maimbolwa
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the pan african medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.287
H-Index - 30
ISSN - 1937-8688
DOI - 10.11604/pamj.2021.40.4.28423
Subject(s) - medicine , psychological intervention , focus group , health facility , maternal health , qualitative research , service delivery framework , environmental health , health care , nursing , service (business) , health services , population , economic growth , business , marketing , social science , sociology , economics
poor access to maternal health services is a one of the major contributing factors to maternal deaths in low-resource settings, and understanding access barriers to maternal services is an important step for targeting interventions aimed at promoting institutional delivery and improving maternal health. This study explored access barriers to maternal and antenatal services in Kaputa and Ngabwe; two of Zambia´s rural and hard-to-reach districts. Methods a concurrent mixed methods approach was therefore, undertaken to exploring three access dimensions, namely availability, affordability and acceptability, in the two districts. Structured interviews were conducted among 190 eligible women in both districts, while key informant interviews, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted for the qualitative component. Results the study found that respondents were happy with facilities´ opening and closing times in both districts. By comparison, however, women in Ngabwe spent significantly more time traveling to facilities than those in Kaputa, with bad roads and transport challenges cited as factors affecting service use. The requirement to have a traditional birth attendant (TBA) accompany a woman when going to deliver from the facility, and paying these TBAs, was a notable access barrier. Generally, services seemed to be more acceptable in Kaputa than in Ngabwe, though both districts complained about long queues, being delivered by male health workers and having delivery rooms next to male wards. Conclusion based on the indicators of access used in this study, maternal health services seemed to be more accessible in Kaputa compared to Ngabwe.