Maternal care and mortality: measuring quality and access in Babati

Type Thesis or Dissertation - Master's thesis
Title Maternal care and mortality: measuring quality and access in Babati
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2009
URL http://sh.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:351846
Abstract
This thesis studies women’s experience of maternal care in Babati, Tanzania and possible reason for Tanzania’s high level of maternal mortality. Globally, every year more than 500,000 women die during pregnancy or deliveries, and 90 percent of these deaths occur in Africa and Asia. The deaths are often of the preventable kind. The purpose is to investigate what makes the maternal care result in high mortality and if under registration of deaths could affect it somehow. The study’s empirical part is conducted through a fieldwork in Babati during the spring semester in 2009 where mothers and health personnel were interviewed. The interviews consisted of semi-structured one on one and group sessions. The interviewed mothers were satisfied with the care received and stated that both accessibility and availability of maternal care was good. One of the possible solutions to the high ratio of maternal mortality is that Tanzanian women visit antenatal services later than recommended and that the access to emergency obstetric care is not always good. Further, it is likely that underregistration of maternal death is present in Tanzania, an issue that must be dealt with in order to receive accurate statistics and by that enable interventions targeted into lowering the maternal mortality.

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