ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The period during and immediately after birth is the time when most maternal and neonatal deaths occur. The care provided during this time is crucial not just for immediate survival, but also for improving the long-term health and nutrition of the mother and infant. Skilled birth attendants should offer essential delivery care services to all mothers and their infants during this time, except in cases where resuscitative measures are required. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the current essential delivery care practices for maternal and new-born health in Private health facilities in Benin City, Edo State. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in private health facilities located in Benin City. The study involved 380 women of reproductive age and 108 healthcare providers who were selected through a multistage sampling technique. To collect data, an observational checklist and a structured questionnaire that was administered by an interviewer were used. Data was analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for windows, version 26.0 software and level of significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Less than half (40.5%) of the health facilities assessed had 6-10 beds for inpatient adults and children and 27(32.9%) had 20 or more beds for the same reason. From the number of inpatient beds available, results showed that majority of the facilities (42.7%) had 1-3 dedicated maternity beds available and also three-quarters (91.5%) of facilities had 1-3 delivery beds. Furthermore, 58 (70.7%) of facilities had rooms with auditory and visual privacy. Oxytocin injection was available in 78% of the facilities assessed. Antibiotics, IV fluid, Sulphadoxine/Pyrimethamine, Chloroquine tablet and injection, ACT, Ferrous tablet, Folic acid were also available in majority of the health facilities assessed. Additionally, all facilities also had cotton wool, syringes and disinfectants available. Furthermore, the study found that out of 82 health facilities assessed, 41 (50.0%) had specialist medical doctors, 77 (93.9%) had nursing staff, 71 (86.6%) had midwifery professionals and 59 (72.0%) had community health workers. About 75% of the health care providers had good knowledge of essential delivery care services. The skill assessment results in this study also showed high competency of skilled health care workers at facilities assessed. Place of residence, husband’s occupation, marital status, woman’s occupation and number of children were found to be significant factors influencing essential maternal and new-born delivery care services. Logistic regression analysis from this study further showed mothers who had one or two children were significantly more likely to choose either government or private facility for ANC (AOR: 1.351; 95% CI: 1.51-9.85; P = 0.005) and place of delivery (AOR: 1.168; 95% CI: 1.27-8.17; P = 0.014) when compared to those with more than five children. CONCLUSION: Private health facilities in Benin City have staff who have good knowledge and are adequately skilled in essential delivery care services. The facilities are adequately supplied with drugs and equipment for maternal and new-born delivery care. However, more skilled health care providers should be made available at facilities in both urban and sub-urban areas. Efforts towards ensuring women attend all ANC appointments should be strengthened and enrolment in community-based health insurance should be further encouraged among individuals and communities.
