ArticleJournal of global health2025
Impact of Ghana's fee exemption policy on maternal health service utilisation: an inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis of pooled national data.
Article in Journal of global health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Geospatial disparities in infant mortality in Ghana: evidence from national data.BMJ global health · 2026Article
- Impact of eight or more antenatal care visits on intermittent preventive treatment of malaria uptake during pregnancy and facility-based delivery in Ghana: a propensity score matched analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
Background: Fee exemption policies are key strategies for reducing the barriers to accessing maternal health services and improving maternal and child health outcomes. This study used pooled national data to determine the impact of Ghana's user fee exemption policy on maternal health service utilisation since it was implemented in 2008. Methods: Using four rounds of cross-sectional data from national surveys on women with live births, we conducted an inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis to evaluate the causal effects of Ghana's user fee exemption policy intervention on the timing of first antenatal care (ANC) visit, completion of four or more ANC visits and facility-based delivery as indicators of maternal health service utilisation. Results: The average treatment effect of the fee exemption policy was an increase of 8, 9, and 21% in the utilisation of timely first ANC visit, completion of the recommended number of ANC visits, and facility-based delivery, respectively. Wealth index categorisation showed a clear stepwise increase in the likelihood of facility-based delivery. Compared to the poorest group, the odds were 1.48 times higher for the poorer group adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.48 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.33-1.66), 2.27 times higher for the middle group aOR = 2.27 (95% CI = 1.95-2.64), 3.84 times higher for the rich group aOR = 3.84 (95% CI = 3.13-4.69), and 5.96 times higher for the richest group aOR = 5.96 (95% CI = 4.43-8.02). Women who reside in the Upper East region were more likely to utilise maternal health services. Conclusions: Ghana's fee exemption policy positively impacts maternal health service utilisation among pregnant women. However, there still exist disparities across geographical regions and wealth indexes.
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