Abstract
BackgroundWomen’s health and the reduction in the global maternal mortality rate is a research priority worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the structural conditions that influence the maternity care provided for women in rural Ethiopia.MethodsA qualitative descriptive study was conducted, composed of 28 individual in-depth interviews with midwives and women who had given birth during the past 8 months, and observations of maternity care at health centres and a primary hospital. A thematic analysis was conducted.ResultsThe midwives do their utmost to save the lives of mothers and prioritise saving lives over providing compassionate care. Inadequate resources, such as equipment, medicine and water, affect the quality of care they provide for the birthing women. This creates a conflict between the midwives’ ideals and what conditions allow them to do. Families and the women’s network play important roles in providing care and support to the women who give birth in health facilities.ConclusionsStructural conditions make it difficult for Ethiopian midwives in rural areas to provide optimal maternity care. In addition to the availability of professional midwifery care, the expectant mothers’ families and networks also tend to provide important support and care. Further studies on how to improve the quality of maternity care from the women’s perspective are needed.
Highlights
Women’s health and the reduction in the global maternal mortality rate is a research priority worldwide
The aim of this study was to investigate the structural conditions that influence the maternity care provided for women in rural Ethiopia
The midwives at the Health Centre (HC) said that they received their basic salary every month but added that they had not been paid for weekends and holidays for the past 6 months
Summary
Women’s health and the reduction in the global maternal mortality rate is a research priority worldwide. Almost all maternal deaths occur in developing countries [1,2,3]. In 2017, Sub-Saharan countries alone accounted for approximately two-thirds of the estimated number of global maternal deaths. The maternal mortality rate (MMR) exposes wide gaps between rich and poor and urban and rural areas, both within a country and among countries [4]. This study is part of a larger study to investigate maternity care offered to women in rural areas of Ethiopia.
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