| dc.description.abstract | Introduction: Uganda has the highest maternal mortality ratio in East Africa estimated at 435 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (UBOS, 2012) attributable to inadequate health care infrastructure, shortages of qualified health staff and related medical supplies, as well as low accessibility to health services. In an effort to lower the maternal mortality, the Ministry of Health (Uganda) under the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP I) introduced antenatal care (ANC) service to provide a number of services such as routine examination and treatment of sexually transmitted infection(syphilis), easy access to voluntary counseling and testing, information and education on fetal growth, development and risk as well as birth spacing that would increase survival of the expectant mother and her unborn child thereby improving their health (WHO/UNICEF, 2003).
Despite these efforts, there was a decline in the percentage of pregnant women attending ANC from 47 percent in 2010 to 43 percent in 2011 (UBOS, 2012) that may be attributable to lack of satisfaction of health care and reach, a major de-motivating factor. This can result in poor usage of maternal care facilities among expectant mothers (Simkhada et al., 2008). This study therefore, aims to establish satisfaction level and reach among expectant mothers attending ANC in five health facilities as a means to improving maternal and child health.
Objectives: The major objective was to determine the level of satisfaction and reach among expectant mothers attending ANC at five health facilities in Kampala district during the period of study and the specific objectives were to describe the socio-demographic characteristics that influences satisfaction, to determine the level of ANC services reach in terms of source of information, mode of transport, travel time and cost of travel as well as to assess the providers practices in ANC services in terms of providers’ behavior, providers’ attention , confidentiality and facility status that influences satisfaction and reach of ANC.
Method: This was a cross-section survey conducted in order to describe satisfaction and reach among expectant mothers attending antenatal care in five health facilities in Kampala District. The study population was the women of reproductive age (15 – 49 years), who came for antenatal care services. A total of 180 clients were interviewed during the period of study. A structured questionnaire was used as data collection instruments. Results were analysed using univariate and bivariate analysis.
Result: The major findings of the study showed that majority of the respondents were 25 years and above having attained secondary education and bachelor degrees, and on paid/salaried jobs having two or more children. The majority of respondents received information about the health facilities from family members and relatives and took more than sixty minutes to reach the service center spending more than one thousand five hundred Ugandan shillings for transportation in a taxi (commercial transport). The study result revealed that more than fifty percent (51.1%) of the respondents were satisfied with the existing ANC services and 39.4% were very satisfied with the existing service at the health facilities.
The findings also showed that there was significant relationship between satisfaction and reach of expectant mothers and the following: age (P = 0.014 < 0.05), education (P = 0.002 < 0.05), occupation (P = 0.000 < 0.05), mode of transport (P = 0.000 < 0.05), cost of travel (P = 0.000 < 0.05) and distance travelled (P = 0.000 < 0.05); the behavior of the physician (P = 0.000 < 0.05), the behavior of laboratory technician (P = 0.001 < 0.05), the behavior of pharmacist (P = 0.009 < 0.05) and the behavior of support staffs (P = 0.007 < 0.05); waiting space (P = 0.051 ≤ 0.05), drinking water (P = 0.000 < 0.05), cleanliness of toilet (P = 0.000 < 0.05) and waiting time (P = 0.000 < 0.05).
Conclusion: The provision of good antenatal care services ensure early detection and reduction of associated risks encounter in maternal and child health through prompt management thereby improving on maternal and child health. Clients’ satisfaction is vital to utilization of ANC services. Demographic factors (such as age, education and occupation), providers’ practices (especially those of the physician, the laboratory technician, the pharmacist and the support staffs) in terms of their behavior, provision of attention and confidentiality influences satisfaction and reach of ANC services. Facility reach (such as mode of transport, cost of transport and distance travelled) and facility status (such waiting space, drinking water, cleanliness of toilet and waiting time) also vital to expectant mothers satisfaction and reach of ANC services. Key words: ANC Services, Reach, Services related to providers, Paid /salaried employment jobs. | en_US |
