Published January 21, 2024 | Version v1
Journal article Open

MODELLING THE EFFECT OF MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTHCARE SERVICE QUALITY ON NEONATAL MORTALITY IN NIGERIA

Description

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 3.2 of the United Nations aims for every country in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria inclusive to reach a neonatal mortality rate of less than 12 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030. But, neonatal deaths in Nigeria currently stood at 69 deaths per 1 000 live births. This might have been caused by low quality of healthcare service provision for pregnant women during ANC visit. Thus, this research investigated the effect of maternal and child healthcare service quality on neonatal mortality in Nigeria. The research employed quantitative research method to pooled disaggregated datasets collected through telephone interviews across ten states (Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Niger and Lagos) in Nigeria via proportionate stratified sampling technique. Post-stratification weighting was applied to the descriptive part of the analysis in order to make the study sample size even more representative of the study population. We measured maternal and child healthcare service quality using WHO’s ANC service quality assessment instrument known as ANC service components quality assessment metrics questionnaire (ANCCQAM) to elicit information from 5, 000 women of child-bearing age (aged 18-49 years) about their experiences on ANC service provisions at the health facilities across the study locations. The research used Probit regression analysis to estimate the marginal effects of ANC components service provisions on neonatal mortality in Nigeria. The result from the study findings show a negative relationship between ANC service quality assessment metrics (utilization of iron-folic acid supplementations by pregnant women, Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria for pregnant women [IPTp-SP], delivery cases handled by skilled birth attendants, postnatal care for new born & women’s knowledge on postpartum danger signs for neonates) and neonatal mortality in Nigeria. Based on the study findings, the research concluded that maternal and child healthcare service quality does not have significant effect on neonatal deaths in Nigeria. Following the results of the study findings, this research recommends that the federal, state and local governments should restructure the National Health Insurance Authority Act (NHIA) to incorporate health policies for new borns in order to check the idiosyncrasy of neonatal deaths in Nigeria. The study also calls on government, stakeholders in the private sector and non-governmental organizations in re-visioning strategic ways to provide the optimal methods for delivering quality and patients-based ANC services across all PHCs in Nigeria so as to avert the deaths of neonates.

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