Maternity waiting homes: A panacea for maternal/neonatal conundrums in Eritrea

Background: Maternal mortality which is partly due to low skilled care delivery is still less than 30% in most developing countries including Eritrea. Maternity waiting homes were introduced in Eritrea in 2007 as a strategy to mitigate against the attendant high maternal mortality rates in hard to reach regions. Objective: To assess pregnancy outcomes verified through maternal mortality and perinatal mortality rates since the introduction of maternity waiting homes in some hard to reach sub-zobas of Eritrea. Methods: A rapid assessment of the maternity waiting homes was conducted in six sub-zobas of Northern and Southern Red Sea Zones during the period April 20-29, 2009 using questionnaires administered to health workers, community members, traditional birth attendants and the beneficiaries. Results: Heads of a total of 11 health facilities, community leaders, TBAs and mothers who stayed in the maternity waiting homes were interviewed. A total of 862 mothers had delivered in the 20 months since the introduction of the maternity homes from September 2007 till April 2009 averaging 425 annually compared to 266 deliveries in the same facilities prior to introduction of the waiting homes. No maternal death was recorded in the health facilities during that period. There were seven neonatal deaths and seven still births during the same period making the peri-natal death rate of 1.6%. Conclusion: Deliveries in the maternal waiting homes increased deliveries by 56% with no maternal deaths reported, making it a successful strategy targeted at reducing maternal and perinatal mortality rates. The study recommends the upscaling of the strategy because it is costeffective and acceptable to the community as evidenced by the support provided by the community

Maternity waiting homes as a costâ effective intervention in rural Liberia

ObjectiveTo analyze the costâ effectiveness of maternity waiting homes (MWHs) in rural Liberia by examining the cost per life saved and economic effect of MWHs on maternal mortality.MethodsA costâ effectiveness analysis was used to evaluate costs and economic effect of MWHs on maternal mortality in rural Liberia to guide future resource allocation. A secondary data analysis was performed based on a prior quasiâ experimental cohort study of 10 rural primary healthcare facilities, five with a MWH and five without a MWH, that took place from October 30, 2010 to February 28, 2015.ResultsCalculations signified a low cost per year of life saved at MWHs in a rural district in Liberia. Total populationâ adjusted number of women’s lives saved over 3 years was 6.25.ConclusionWhile initial costs were considerable, over a period of 10 or more years MWHs could be a costâ effective and affordable strategy to reduce maternal mortality rates in Liberia. Discussion of the scaling up of MWH interventions for improving maternal outcomes in Liberia and other lowâ and middleâ income countries is justified. Findings can be used to advocate for policy changes to increase the apportionment of resources for building more MWHs in low resource settings.Maternity waiting homes are an affordable and highly costâ effective strategy to decrease maternal mortality in Liberia.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149550/1/ijgo12830.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149550/2/ijgo12830_am.pd