A study by the School of Medical Sciences of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has found high numbers of mothers are dissatisfied with labour and delivery services provided by health facilities.
Dr. Gracelyn Asare and Dr John Amuasi found as a high as 74 percent of women find it difficult accessing services including toilet facilities and ambulance services.
“Most of the women complain toilet facilities were far away from the labour ward and when labour sets in at home they don’t have an ambulance to take them to the Hospital,” she said.
The WHO defines quality of care as the extent to which health care services provided to individuals and patient populations improve a desired outcome.
However, one’s perception of quality service and expressed satisfaction may not necessarily be the standard of quality care.
The study examined factors that influenced maternal satisfaction with quality, labour and delivery services in public health facilities in the Dade-Kotopon district of the Greater Accra region.
In all, 223 mothers who delivered within the last 5 years were interviewed.
The study also found women who were delivered through caesarian section were more satisfied than through the vagina.
Again, women who stayed longer at the hospital were more satisfied than those who had a shorter stay.
“Those who were discharged earlier went home with complications than those who stayed a bit longer,” she noted.
Delivery attendants is one of the concerns raised by the mothers, a situation Director of South Suntreso Hospital, Dr Agyarko Poku could not fathom.
“I expect delivery attendants to be in the know with complications associated with labour and delivery,” he said.
Dr Gracelyn believes it is about time Ghana upholds the WHO quality of care which advocates an efficient, equitable and safe level of patient-centeredness.
She says mothers’ willingness to readily come to the health facilities to access healthcare will be crucial for reducing maternal mortality cases.
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