Challenges to community midwives in the provision of maternal services to rural communities of Pakistan
摘要
In 2006, the Government of Pakistan introduced community midwives to provide maternal care services to rural communities. Despite huge investments, evidence from several rural regions of Pakistan suggests that the utilization of maternal care through community midwives is very low and the maternal health indicators have not shown significant improvements. A qualitative study was conducted in Thatta, a rural district of Pakistan to explore the challenges faced by community midwives in the provision of skilled care.
MethodsWe used an exploratory qualitative study design by conducting in-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide and a purposive sampling approach. The data was collected using the four domains of the community midwifery model. Interviews were conducted with officials from the health department, three categories of midwives including (i) midwifery students; (ii) trained and working community midwives; and (iii) trained and non-working community midwives. We also carried out interviews with community women. A total of 25 interviews were conducted. A thematic analysis approach was used for analysis.
ResultsBased on the four domains of the community midwifery model that guided our data collection, two overarching themes were identified: (I)
The study provides key insights to program implementers to work on strategies and interventions to resolve the challenges faced by community midwives and to help achieve the aim of increasing skilled birth attendants in rural regions of Pakistan.