Use of Private and Public Health Facilities for essential Maternal and Child Health Services in Nairobi City informal settlements: Perspectives of Women and Community Health Volunteers

Abstract

We describe the sources of care for delivery, family planning and child welfare services in urban slums of Nairobi. We further explore the perceptions of women and community health volunteers regarding choice and quality of services at health facilities. Data are from a cross-sectional study conducted in 2013 involving interviews with 849 women aged 12-49 years, 968 caregivers of children under five years, and focus group discussions with a subset of the women and community health volunteers. The findings showed that most women sought delivery care and family planning services from private health facilities (51.5% and 47.4%, respectively). Private health facilities were preferred because of ease of access and quality of care although their service fees were considered high. By contrast, public health facilities were viewed as affordable and staffed by qualified personnel although they were characterised by long queues and poor provider attitudes