Braun V

Chatburn RL

Dahlgren L

Demographic and Health Survey

Galadanci HS

Hatt LE

Lobiondo-Wood G

Minichiello V

Nimpagaritse M

Penfold S

Russell B

Wilkinson D

Background: Malindi District sub-county Kilifi County has some of the poorest social economic indicators in the country. It has a poverty rate of 72%, relatively low levels of literacy, high fertility rates, and a significant proportion of the population is exposed to health risk factors. Aims: To explore women's perspectives of elimination of the user fee for accessing maternal health services; and to investigate the facilitators and barriers experienced to using these services following the introduction of this policy. Methods: A qualitative inquiry was used to obtain the views of the maternal health service users of health service facilities in Malindi District, conducted in sub-county Kilifi County. Twenty-eight women, including those seeking prenatal and postnatal care services at the time of the study, participated in the study. Findings: The service users perceived the fee-free maternity services programme to present both opportunities and challenges. The programme was perceived to have lessened the financial burden of seeking skilled care and facilitated the access of skilled care to disadvantaged members of society. However, despite perceived positive outcomes, several participants believed there are challenges affecting the implementation of the programme, including delays in receiving antenatal care and perinatal services, improper cost associated with services in some facilities and lack of essential commodities in the facilities, which forced the users to purchase medicine and supplies to facilitate service provision. Conclusions: The fee-free maternal health service was perceived to improve access to skilled care during pregnancy and birth by the women, irrespective of their socioeconomic status. However, several challenges posed as potential barriers to the sustained perceived increase in service utilisation. </jats:sec

Evaline Lang'at

Lillian Mwanri

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African Journal of Midwifery and Women s Health

Service users' perspectives on free maternal health services in Malindi District, Kenya

Service users' perspectives on free maternal health services in Malindi District, Kenya

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