Multi-stakeholder perspectives on access, availability and utilization of emergency obstetric care services in Lagos, Nigeria: A mixed-methods study

Aduragbemi Banke-Thomas*, Kikelomo Wright, Olatunji Sonoiki, Onaedo Ilozumba, Babatunde Ajayi, Olawunmi Okikiolu, Oluwarotimi Akinola

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Globally, Nigeria is the second most unsafe country to be pregnant, with Lagos, its economic nerve center having disproportionately higher maternal deaths than the national average. Emergency obstetric care (EmOC) is effective in reducing pregnancyrelated morbidities and mortalities. This mixed-methods study quantitatively assessed women’s satisfaction with EmOC received and qualitatively engaged multiple key stakeholders to better understand issues around EmOC access, availability and utilization in Lagos. Qualitative interviews revealed that regarding access, while government opined that EmOC facilities have been strategically built across Lagos, women flagged issues with difficulty in access, compounded by perceived high EmOC cost. For availability, though health workers were judged competent, they appeared insufficient, overworked and felt poorly remunerated. Infrastructure was considered inadequate and paucity of blood and blood products remained commonplace. Although pregnant women positively rated the clinical aspects of care, as confirmed by the survey, satisfaction gaps remained in the areas of service delivery, care organization and responsiveness. These areas of discordance offer insight to opportunities for improvements, which would ensure that every woman can access and use quality EmOC that is sufficiently available.

Original languageEnglish
Article number717
Pages (from-to)182-189
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Public Health in Africa
Volume8
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2017

Funding

Funding: Lagos Research and Development Council (LRDC) through the Innovate Lagos project provided funding for the conduct of the research.

FundersFunder number
Lagos Research and Development Council

    Keywords

    • Access
    • Availability
    • Emergency obstetric care
    • Nigeria
    • Utilisation

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