AN ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS ACCOUNTING FOR LOW UPTAKE OF SKILLED DELIVERY SERVICES AMONG REPRODUCTIVE WOMEN IN THE CENTRAL GONJA DISTRICT,NORTHERN REGION, GHANA

Abstract

In many developing countries, majority of births occur without the help of a skilled assistant at home or in other non-hospital settings (WHO, 1996). Access to skilled delivery care in most communities in northern Ghana still remains a challenge to rural dwellers who have either not understood the importance of skilled care or do not have access to such services. This study is therefore an attempt to explore the reasons accounting for the low uptake of skilled delivery services in central Gonja District. This study was carried out in the central Gonja District using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. It was an explorative descriptive study conducted among a random sample of 415 women aged between 15-49 years while five FGD's and eleven IDI'S were conducted for women groups in the qualitative study. Home deliveries without skilled care assistance were about 53% whilst close to 85% of women attended antenatal clinic. Women were more likely to use skilled delivery services if midwives were at post rendering 24 hour services (p=0.03). Also women were more likely to use skilled delivery services if the road network was good (p=O.OOO).Though women were aware of the importance skilled delivery services majority preferred home births without skilled care because of care practices such as bathing mother and child with warm water and "drinking local flour water" that was practiced at home. The study shows that lack of a health facility or far distance to the nearest health facility are major reasons why most of the pregnant women prefer to deliver at home without skilled care. The attitude of health workers towards expectant mothers was shown to be another reason why some deliveries took place without skilled care even when skilled personnel were contacted.