Title:
Leave No Woman Behind: Saving Women’s Lives Among Pastoralist Communities
Authors:
Huissen, Maria Johanna
Place:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Publisher:
KIT - Royal Tropical Institute [etc.]
Year:
2016
PAGE:
viii, 43
Language:
En
Subject:
Maternal Health – Lessons Learned
Keywords:
aternal mortality, skilled birth attendance, (nomadic) pastoralists, Afar region, Ethiopia
Abstract:
Skilled birth attendance is considered the single most important strategy to reduce maternal mortality. Among the nomadic pastoralists in Afar region, Ethiopia, skilled birth attendance is extremely low, the lowest in the country, with only 7% of births being attended by a skilled birth attendant in a health facility. The aim of this study is to explore the factors, at both demand and supply side, influencing skilled birth attendance in Afar region, Ethiopia, and to recommend evidence-based interventions to improve skilled birth attendance and reduce maternal mortality. Information was collected through literature review. Findings show many barriers and few enablers for skilled birth attendance at both demand and supply side. At demand side the main barriers are mainly socio-cultural, such as the low status of women, cultural beliefs and perceptions about pregnancy and childbirth dictating women to deliver at home with a traditional birth attendant and low awareness of the benefits of skilled birth attendance. There are also access-related barriers on the demand side, including accessibility and acceptability. The only potential enabler, the health extension programme, is not used to its fullest potential. On the supply side the main barriers include lack of health facilities and skilled birth attendants in both quality and quantity, lack of financial resources and lack of ownership assumed by the government at various levels. There is very limited evidence on interventions to improve skilled birth attendance in pastoralist areas and specifically address the needs of nomadic populations.To achieve an improvement in skilled birth attendance, barriers at both supply and demand side must be addressed and enablers strengthened. For Afar region it seems necessary to tailor policies to the Afar and not the other way around. More research should be done on which interventions are effective for the Afar pastoralist communities and can improve skilled birth attendance. Recommended interventions for further research are: expansion of the health extension programme, including training both health extension workers and traditional birth attendants in clean and safe delivery and introduce community mobilisation; introducing mobile/seasonal clinics to accommodate the nomadic lifestyle; introducing performance-based financing to motivate and retain skilled birth attendants and improve quality of care. To address as many barriers as possible the Federal Ministry of Health should cooperate with other relevant ministries, such as the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Women’s Affairs.
Organization:
KIT - Royal Tropical Institute
,
VU - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Institute:
KIT (Royal Tropical Institute)
Department:
Health Unit
Country:
The Netherlands
Region:
Europe
Training:
Master of Public Health
Category:
research
Right:
© 2016 Huissen
Document type:
Thesis/dissertation
File:
C561WqZW4u_2017111916004352.pdf