Utilization of Antenatal Services among Pregnant Women Delivered in College of Medicine and JNM Hospital, Kalyani, West Bengal

Abstract

Background: Adequate antenatal care (ANC) services are the key to a healthy pregnancy outcome. Utilization of ANC services is of foremost importance in reducing maternal mortality and morbidity in India. ANC is one of the main components of maternal health. Low socioeconomic status, illiteracy, lack of awareness, and limited health-care options lead to underutilization of maternal health-care services. Objectives: The study is aimed to assess the utilization of ANC services in the recently delivered females. Materials and Methods: The present study is a hospital-based cross-sectional observational study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, COMJNM, from July 2019 to September 2019. All the patients admitted under a particular unit have been taken into account. A pre-designed and pre-tested structured questionnaire was administered to all the patients who had delivered in this tertiary care teaching hospital of Nadia district, West Bengal, India. The data were tabulated, analyzed, and presented in proportions. Results: During the study, 305 rural and semi-urban, recently delivered females were interviewed. Conclusion: In spite of persistent efforts of the Government of India to improve maternal and child health services in the rural parts of the country, the results reflect the areas of concern. There is an innate need is to upgrade the quality and accessibility of antenatal care service as well as public health awareness, especially in the remote areas/village areas.