Factors Influencing Utilization of Free Maternal Healthcare Services in Tanzania

Abstract

Improving utilization of maternal healthcare services helps in reducing or eliminating limiting factors among women who use maternal health care (MHC) services. The United Nation (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Tanzania Health Policy 2017 insist on improving MHC among the community members by proper adherence on early starting Antenatal Care (ANC), ANC 4+ visits, delivery at health facility and Postnatal Care (PNC) 3+ visits. This study focused on assessing factors influencing utilization of free maternal healthcare services in the government primary health care facilities in Kilimanjaro Region. A cross-sectional research design, with convenience sampling and purposive sampling techniques were applied to select 176 study respondents. Data were collected using survey, interview and documentary review. Data were analysed by using chi-square and multiple logistic regression technique into four outcomes early staring ANC before 13 week of gestation, 4+ ANC visits, delivery at health facilities and PNC 3+ visits. The findings shows that utilization of MHC was influenced by increasing education level (P= 0.001), urban residence (P= 0.001), attending to health facility for family planning (P = 0.02), male involvement on PNC (P = 0.05), quality of health infrastructure (OR = 0.35, P = 0.016, CI: 0.15-0.82) and MHC services satisfaction (OR = 0.09, P = 0.03 CI: 0.01-1.12). The study concluded that, improving utilisation of free MHC services contribute in solving adverse effects in maternal complication, health of the mother and child and family economic growth in general. Thus, it was recommended that the government and healthcare stakeholders should ensure community awareness on best practices in using health facilities, empower women economically, education, availability of sufficient health services at the health facilities. Further, Ministry of Health should ensure improvement of health facilities infrastructures and increasing community access to sufficient MHC services by putting more emphasis to those who live in a remote areas to access health facilities.