By Patience Afulani
Maternal and neonatal mortality has remained high in low-resource settings despite progress in recent years. The estimated maternal mortality ratio in Kenya is 342 per 100,000 live births, a startling 18 times the rate in the United States.
High quality prenatal care can address these high levels of mortality. High quality prenatal care means women receive all the recommended services needed to ensure a successful pregnancy. But it’s not just about receiving services; the woman’s experience matters. High-quality care is person-centred, meaning that it is respectful and responsive to the woman’s needs and preferences.
This kind of care can prevent or identify and manage complications or pre-existing conditions that could cause problems during pregnancy. Receiving quality prenatal care can also make it more likely that women will go to a facility for skilled care during birth, which is critical for managing complications at birth to prevent morbidity and mortality.
Kenya’s national guidelines for obstetrics and perinatal care recommend four comprehensive and targeted prenatal care visits. The guidelines also urge providers to treat each visit as though it may be the only one to ensure patients are getting thorough care.
The guidelines say:
Antenatal care should be simpler, safer, friendly and more accessible. Women are more likely to seek and return for services if they feel cared for and respected by their providers.
A recent Bixby Center study surveyed around 1,000 women in a rural county in western Kenya, to see how the prenatal care they received measured up. It is one of few studies to look at both provisions of services and women’s experiences of care. The study found gaps in both the provision of services and women’s experiences of care, indicating that women are not reaping the full benefits of prenatal care.
