ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2018
Stakeholders' perspectives on facilitators of and barriers to the utilisation of and access to maternal health services in Eritrea: a qualitative study.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Barriers and facilitators to maternal healthcare in East Africa: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis of perspectives from women, their families, healthcare providers, and key stakeholders.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Pooled it
- Attitudes of pregnant women regarding tobacco and alcohol use during pregnancy at one primary health care clinic in Southern Namibia.African health sciences · 2025Article
- Key barriers to the provision and utilization of maternal health services in low-and lower-middle-income countries; a scoping review.BMC women's health · 2024Article
- Knowledge of pregnant women regarding tobacco and alcohol use in pregnancy at Mariental clinic, Hardap region: a quantitative study.Journal of public health in Africa · 2023Article
- An investigation of factors affecting the utilization of antenatal care services among women in post-natal wards in two Namibian hospitals in the Khomas region.Journal of public health in Africa · 2023Article
- Factors impacting antenatal care utilization: a systematic review of 37 fragile and conflict-affected situations.Conflict and health · 2022Review
- Perspectives of policymakers and health providers on barriers and facilitators to skilled pregnancy care: findings from a qualitative study in rural Nigeria.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Article
- A qualitative study of community elders' perceptions about the underutilization of formal maternal care and maternal death in rural Nigeria.Reproductive health · 2019Article
- Factors determining choice of place of delivery: analytical cross-sectional study of mothers in Akordet town, Eritrea.BMC public health · 2019Article
- Article
- Health system reforms in five sub-Saharan African countries that experienced major armed conflicts (wars) during 1990-2015: a literature review.Global health action · 2018Review
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6 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundWars affect maternal health services by destroying health systems. Eritrea experienced two wars with neighbouring Ethiopia. Despite this, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Eritrea fell by 69% from 1590 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 501 in 2015. This study aimed to examine facilitators of and barriers to the utilisation of and access to maternal health services in Eritrea.
methodsUsing in-depth interviews and field observations for data collection, this qualitative study was conducted in five healthcare facilities in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, in February and March 2016. The participants were: women (n = 40), husbands (n = 5), healthcare providers (n = 10), and decision makers (n = 5).
resultsThere were two perceived facilitators of utilisation of and access to maternal health services: health education (related to the WHO health service delivery building blocks) and improvement in gender equality driven by the role played by Eritrean women as combatants during the War of Independence (1961-1991). The only perceived barrier was poor quality of care due to lack of ultrasound machines, short clinic opening hours, and shortage of healthcare workers (related to the WHO health workforce building block).
conclusionThis study assessed women and their husbands/partners' perceptions and the possible effects of contemporary Eritrean culture and the history of war on the utilisation of and access to maternal health services in the country. As well, we examined healthcare providers' and decision makers' perspectives. The two key facilitators of women's utilisation of and access to maternal health services were health education and women's empowerment driven by their role as combatants during the War of Independence. One main barrier was poor quality of care due to lack of ultrasound machines, short clinic opening hours, and a shortage of healthcare workers. As only a limited number of qualitative studies have been published about maternal health services in war-affected sub-Saharan African countries, our findings regarding health education and women's empowerment could be considered in other war-affected countries similar to Eritrea. Nevertheless, further research is needed to investigate our findings - particularly regarding female empowerment driven by women's role in combat in relation to their maternal health.
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