Abstract
The aim of government with the help of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and other stakeholders has been to reduce the level of child morbidity which leads to child mortality in Ghana. This study on natal care and its implication on child morbidity would help the government in formulating appropriate policies to curb this problem. This study uses Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) which is an infection of the lungs and respiratory tract as a proxy for child morbidity. The specific aim of this study is to ascertain the effect of Natal Care (Antenatal care, Delivery care and Post-natal care) and Maternity leave on Child Morbidity. The study employed data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (2014) using the Probit estimation method to estimate the health, demographic and income factors that influence child morbidity in Ghana. It shows evidence that some stages of natal care, unpaid maternity leave, and other demographic factors have a significant impact on child morbidity in Ghana. Specifically, failure to receive post-natal care within first week of delivery causes a 3% increase in the possibility of ARI in children under five. The study also shows that a mother’s income determines her health care purchases; in that an unpaid maternity leave causes a 3.9% increase in the possibility of ARI in children under five compared to a paid maternity leave.
Highlights
Stakeholders in the global health sector have made tremendous effort to enhance the health care of children all over the world and this has yielded some success
The specific aim of this study is to ascertain the effect of Natal Care (Antenatal care, Delivery care and Post-natal care) and Maternity leave on Child Morbidity
The level of Antenatal care provided is determined in this research by the number of antenatal visits respondents made during their time of pregnancy
Summary
Stakeholders in the global health sector have made tremendous effort to enhance the health care of children all over the world and this has yielded some success. These successes are not at their all-time high as the reduction of child morbidity is still a daunting task to these experts. It seeks to end the epidemic of tuberculosis and other diseases in all countries. To make this goal attainable, all countries need to put in more effort, especially low to middle-income countries where child mortality rates, newborn mortality rates are high
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