The Contemporary Issues in Medico-Social, Sanitary Protection of Mother and Child; Health Care Facilities, Awareness and Management of Primary Health Care Services in Nigeria

Abstract

This study is focused on contemporaneous longer-term acute issues for mother child under five. It is an expository work targeted to uncover lack of access to Primary Health Care Services (PHCS) which has consistently posed serious health risks in Nigerian society, especially in rural areas, where health facilities are largely inadequate or absent in extreme cases. COVID-19 has played an important role in disclosing lapses of health facilities in most countries around the world and Nigeria is not an exception. Therefore, it takes cognizance of the mother and child health, pre and post antenatal well-being. Previous studies examination indicated that about one in every six children dies before age five in Nigeria. This suggests that improved access to adequate health care holds great potential for improved child survival. However, there has not been an enough systematic attempt to examine the effects of these barriers to health care on under-five mortality in Nigerian rural areas. This study is designed to address this knowledge gap. Method and materials: Online survey monkey tool (OSMT) aims to collect data and measure accuracy performance for proper feedback was employed. A structured questionnaire was used to send across 107 pregnant women in some rural areas in Nigeria for a period of one month and 2 weeks and they responded through emails, Facebook etc. due to Covid-19 protocol and restrictions. A total of 67 persons responded. Their feedback was processed, analyzed and presented in graphics. Objective: To ascertain the health situation of mother and child in Nigerian rural communities and the other prevalence factors influencing access to primary health care services. Results and discussion- We found 95.52% respondents align with the fact that health of the mothers and children is a public health priority, 79.10% agreed that progress in newborn health does not require expansive technology. 83.82% subscribed to the idea that an urgent need is required t develop effective ways to organizing continuity of care during those first weeks after birth etc. Conclusion: Findings of this study stressed the need for improved access to adequate health care in rural areas through the elimination of barriers to access and education awareness. This study would enable health agencies and planners in the country to achieve a significant reduction in childhood and mother mortality in the long run.