Factors Influencing the Accessibility of Maternal Health Service in Cambodia.

Won Ju Hwang,Yeon Mi Park

doi:10.3390/ijerph16162909

Abstract

Despite worldwide efforts, maternal and child mortality remains a major health problem in many developing countries. Cambodia’s maternal mortality rate has decreased over recent years through government efforts and support from various international development cooperation agencies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that affected the accessibility of Cambodia’s maternal healthcare services. Data from maternal health service surveys conducted in Battambang, Cambodia in 2012 and 2015 were compared and analyzed. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify factors related to the accessibility of integrated maternal healthcare service. The travel time to health centers was found to be related to distance from the health center (ß = 0.031, p < 0.001), travel time during the rainy season (ß = 0.166, p < 0.001), and travel cost (ß = 0.001, p < 0.001), with an explanatory power of 27% (R2 = 0.274). Based on these findings, future research and policy should focus on improving accessibility to effective maternal and child healthcare services, to reduce maternal and child mortality. This study is intended to contribute to developing a multi-directional and integrated strategy for access to maternal health services in developing countries.

Highlights

There has been much improvement in maternal and child mortality rates since this issue was adopted by the United Nations (UN) of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in 2000, this matter remains an important and pressing issue that needs to be addressed in developing countries such as Cambodia
Having actively worked on finding ways to decrease maternal and child mortality rates for 15 years, the UN included this goal in its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 as part of the objective of guaranteeing the health and well-being of all people [1]
Scheduled antenatal care (ANC) begins in early pregnancy and continues until post-delivery

Summary

Introduction

There has been much improvement in maternal and child mortality rates since this issue was adopted by the United Nations (UN) of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in 2000, this matter remains an important and pressing issue that needs to be addressed in developing countries such as Cambodia. Health conditions are very important for the achievement of these goals because they indicate the effectiveness of each country’s healthcare system and the state of a country’s overall social and financial environment [2]. 1000 infants, showing the grave situation in Cambodia at that time. These rates greatly improved after Cambodia’s inclusion as one of 10 fast-track countries in the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (PMNCH) program [3].

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Discussion

Conclusion