Analysing Barriers to Accessing Maternal Healthcare Systems in Developing Countries: A Case of Sokoto-Northern Nigeria

Abstract

The government and other policy makers continue struggles to achieve maximum access of modern healthcare by the women in developing countries. To assist actualising such goal this study intends to examine the influence of distance to facility, time taken for travel and means of transportation (DTTf)

Married women decision making autonomy on health care utilization in high fertility sub-Saharan African countries: A multilevel analysis of recent Demographic and Health Survey

“…Women are prohibited from leaving their homes for health care in the most countries of SSA [ 17 ]. A study in rural SSA countries showed that women living in communities are not expected to visit health care facilities, which reduces the Service utilization in the health care system [ 14 ].…”

A Phenomenological Exploration of Women's Utilisation of Maternal Healthcare Services in Bauchi State, Nigeria

“…In a qualitative study in Zambia by Sialubanje et al (2015), women's independence was found to be part of the factors that caused low patronage of the services of skilled healthcare workers in the maternal centres. Husband dominance significantly limits women's freedom to seek healthcare services (Shamaki, Yew, & Dahiru 2017). However, when women are not supported by their husbands, they can patronise the TBAs, whose services are cheap and free, depending on the situation.…”

Rural Transportation Infrastructure in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Review of Impacts, Implications, and Interventions

“…The mode of travel and the status of transportation infrastructure are critically important factors that influence the amount of time required for access [82,86,102,[107][108][109]. Many poor rural families do not own vehicles, cannot afford to hire vehicles [110] and are not within reach of public transportation systems that typically only follow patterns of commerce [90]. Thus, the available modes of transportation are often less advanced, and people are left to rely upon low-technology and high-effort options, compounding the burdensome and time-consuming nature of their journeys [84,86,101,[110][111][112].…”

“…Many poor rural families do not own vehicles, cannot afford to hire vehicles [110] and are not within reach of public transportation systems that typically only follow patterns of commerce [90]. Thus, the available modes of transportation are often less advanced, and people are left to rely upon low-technology and high-effort options, compounding the burdensome and time-consuming nature of their journeys [84,86,101,[110][111][112]. Additionally, an ill or injured person, or an adult traveling with children, will have decreased ability to travel via these means, and doing so can be slow, dangerous, or life-threatening [81,82,84].…”

“…Geographic access to care has been described as the single greatest contributor to maternal mortality [113], and accordingly, access to maternal care has previously been described as the greatest perceived benefit of improved roads for women [8]. It is known that distance is a disincentive for women in seeking care [102,110,133,134] and usage of health facilities for skilled care at childbirth was found to be inversely correlated with the distance and time women were required to travel [132]. Limited use of skilled care for childbirth poses a tremendous issue for both maternal and child survival and is, thus, a critically important aspect of sustainable development [105].…”