Identifying barriers to accessing skilled maternal health care in rural Morocco

This study aimed to understand the experiences of women giving birth in rural Morocco, and to identify the barriers they face when accessing facility-based maternity care. Fifty-five participants were recruited from villages in Morocco's rural south to participate in focus group discussions (FGDs), using appreciative inquiry as the guiding framework. Several themes emerged from the analysis of the focus group data. Women felt well-cared for and safe giving birth both at home and in the large, tertiary care hospitals, but not in the small, primary care hospitals. Women who gave birth at the primary care hospitals reported a shortage of some equipment and supplies and poor treatment at the hands of hospital staff. Locating and paying for transportation was identified as the biggest hurdle in accessing maternity care at any hospital. The findings of this study indicate the need for change within primary care health facilities.PMID:34077107 | DOI:10.29063/ajrh2021/v25i1.3

Source: African Journal of Reproductive Health - June 2, 2021 Category: African Health Authors: Jami Baayd Sara E Simonsen Joseph B Stanford Sydney K Willis Caren J Frost Source Type: research