Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Aug 20:15:333.
doi: 10.1186/s12913-015-1005-y.

Can she make it? Transportation barriers to accessing maternal and child health care services in rural Ghana

Kilian Nasung Atuoye  1 , Jenna Dixon  2 , Andrea Rishworth  3 , Sylvester Zackaria Galaa  4 , Sheila A Boamah  5 , Isaac Luginaah  6
Affiliations

Can she make it? Transportation barriers to accessing maternal and child health care services in rural Ghana

Kilian Nasung Atuoye et al. BMC Health Serv Res. .

Abstract

Background: The Ghana Community based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) strategy targets to bring health services to the doorsteps of clients in a manner that improves maternal and child health outcomes. In this strategy, referral is an important component but it is threatened in a rural context where transportation service is a problem. Few studies have examined perceptions of rural dwellers on transportation challenges in accessing maternal health care services within CHPS.

Methods: Using the political ecology of health framework, this paper investigates transportation barriers in health access in a rural context based on perceived cause, coping mechanisms and strategies for a sustainable transportation system. Eight (8) focus group discussions involving males (n = 40) and females (n = 45) in rural communities in a CHPS zone in the Upper West Region of Ghana were conducted between September and December 2013.

Results: Lack of vehicular transport is suppressing the potential positive impact of CHPS on maternal and child health. Consistent neglect of road infrastructural development and endemic poverty in the study area makes provision of alternative transport services for health care difficult. As a result, pregnant women use risky methods such as bicycle/tricycle/motorbikes to access obstetric health care services, and some turn to traditional medicines and traditional birth attendants for maternal health care services.

Conclusion: These findings underscore the need for policy to address rural transport problems in order to improve maternal health. Community based transport strategy with CHPS is proposed to improve adherence to referral and access to emergency obstetric services.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Political ecology of transport effect on maternal health care access in rural Ghana
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Sustainable community transport system for health access
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Cham M, Sundby J, Vangen S. Maternal mortality in the rural Gambia, a qualitative study on access to emergency obstetric care. Reprod Health. 2005;2:3. doi: 10.1186/1742-4755-2-3. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Essien E, Ifenne D, Sabitu K, Musa A, Alti-Mu’azu M, Adidu V. Community loan funds and transport services for obstertric emergencies in Northern Nigeria. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 1997;59:237–244. doi: 10.1016/S0020-7292(97)00171-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Leipziger D, Fay M, Wodon Q, Yepes T. Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: The Role of Infrastructure. 2003.
    1. Galaa S, Daare K. Understanding barriers to maternal child health services utilisation in northern Ghana. J Soc Dev Afr. 2008;23(2):127–155.
    1. Buor D. Gender and the utilisation of health services in the Ashanti Region, Ghana. Health Policy. 2004;69(3):375–388. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2004.01.004. - DOI - PubMed