How poor access to health care impact on maternal health in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The presence of society inequalities, inadequate infrastructure, and cultural elements that aggravate the limited access to healthcare in Nigeria has made it progressively difficult to achieve ideal maternal health in Nigeria. Nigeria still boasts among the highest maternal mortality rates globally even with several interventions. This paper aims to investigate carefully qualitative studies on how limited access to healthcare influences mother health outcomes in Nigeria. The objective is to identify main factors either facilitating or hindering these outcomes.   

Methods:  The follwing databases were searched extensively: PubMed, CINAHL, and Medline. The search was limited to research publications published between 2015 and 2024. The chosen keywords were "Nigeria," "maternal health," and "healthcare access." The inclusion criteria was qualitative research observing elements allowing or blocking access to maternal healthcare, and the researchers followed the PRISMA guidelines and applied thematic analysis to identify repeating patterns.   

Results: The study revealed several main challenges to maternal healthcare accessibility in Nigeria including insufficient healthcare infrastructure, outrageous medical costs, poor attitudes of healthcare professionals, and societal preferences for traditional birth attendants. Rural areas presented special challenges because of their clear geographical and socioeconomic differences. Accessibility was improved by elements including health insurance coverage, community involvement, and educational campaigns meant to raise knowledge of the advantages of official mother healthcare. While social responsibility initiatives and the Midwives Service Scheme could help to increase service use, their success has shown variations depending on the area.   

Conclusion: In essence, the present systematic review highlights the complicated interaction of elements preventing the availability of maternal healthcare in Nigeria, so aggravating the high rates of mother mortality and morbidity in the nation. To address these problems, a comprehensive strategy including bettering the quality of care given by healthcare professionals, motivating community involvement, increasing health insurance coverage, and modernising infrastructure is needed. Policymakers, legislators, and medical professionals wishing to create specific interventions to improve mother health outcomes in Nigeria and support world health initiatives including Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 will find great benefit from the results of this study.