Background Social accountability or citizen-led accountability has been promoted in many low- and middle-income countries to improve the quality, access to and use of maternal health services. Experiences with social accountability in maternal health services in Nepal have not yet been documented. This study identifies existing social accountability structures and activities in maternal h...

Malawi has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world. One of the factors contributing to high maternal mortality is the non-use of health facilities during pregnancy and delivery. The aim of this study is to examine the factors associated with non-institutional deliveries in Malawi. Data from 2004 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey and multinomial logistic regression were used...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether a complex community intervention in rural Zambia improved understanding of maternal health and increased use of maternal health-care services. METHODS The intervention took place in six rural districts selected by the Zambian Ministry of Health. It involved community discussions on safe pregnancy and delivery led by trained volunteers and the provision of emerge...

There is a broad consensus and evidence that shows qualified, accessible, and responsive human resources for health (HRH) can make a major impact on the health of the populations. At the same time, there is widespread recognition that HRH crises particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) impede the achievement of better health outcomes/targets. In order to achieve the Sustainable ...

Gujarat state of India has come a long way in improving the health indicators since independence, but progress in reducing maternal mortality has been slow and largely unmeasured or documented. This case study identified several challenges for reducing the maternal mortality ratio, including lack of the managerial capacity, shortage of skilled human resources, non-availability of blood in rural...

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND DEVELOPMENT COPELAND, 111, ESKER B.S. FISK UNIVERSITY, 1999 M.P.H. MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, 2007 TOWARDS MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL FIVE IN GHANA: AN ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT SITUATION IN THE AVAILABILITY, UTILIZATION AND OUALITY OF OBSTETRIC CARE Advisor: Professor Art Hansen Thesis dated December 2007 This study uses Millennium Development Goal Indicator 17 alon...

This case study analyzes the design and implementation of the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) in Afghanistan by synthesizing the literature with a focus on maternal health services. The authors are a group of graduate students in the Brandeis University International Health Policy and Management Program and Sustainable International Development Program who used the experience in Afghani...

Maternal mortality remains one of the biggest public health challenges in Nepal. This paper explores the health seeking behavior, during pregnancy and child birth in certain ethnic group. The poverty, illiteracy, women's low status in the society, lack of access and difficult geographical terrain are major reasons for poor maternal health status in Nepal. Cross-sectional study was conducted amo...

background: high cesarean section rate is a major health problem in developing countries. this study was established to evaluate the effectiveness of iranian ministry of health and medical education protocols on cesarean section rate trend. methods: through a non-concurrent controlled quasi-experimental study, cesarean section rate in shohada-e-tajrish and taleghani hospitals in tehran was comp...