Publication:

Maternal and newborn health services in urban Andhra Pradesh: a household assessment

broader socio-economic and healthcare landscape. Despite initiatives, maternal mortality and morbidity persist due to inadequate access to healthcare services, delayed care, socio-cultural practices, and lack of awareness. In light of the persistence of maternal mortality and morbidity, the Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare (CH&FW), Andhra Pradesh (AP), has directed the lady health visitor (LHV) trainees of the Regional Training Centre (female) RTC (F), Kurnool, to conduct a household survey.

Methods Data were collected using a pretested interview schedule communicated by the CH&FW, AP, via convenience sampling. Statistical analysis was performed using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) 21.0, and the chi-square test was used; a p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results The majority of households are Hindu (76%), BPL (80.8%), daily labourers (52.7%), and illiterate (35.5%). 98.1% have a pucca house, and 98.9% have a toilet. Among all pregnant women, 94% are registered before 12 weeks of pregnancy, 97% have ABHA, 60% have used only JSSK and 102 services, and 88% are planned for a safe birth. All deliveries have taken place in the hospitals. Of all respondents, 23.3% suffered from NCDs, and 6.7% incurred out-of-pocket expenses.

Conclusion This study has compared the health indicators of the study region, with those at the state and national levels; however, the comparison is not suggestive. Anyhow, this study has highlighted gaps in the implementation of maternal and newborn health services. This study serves as an eye-opener for those who set common targets for all regions and a roadmap for policymakers to identify better strategies to improve maternal and newborn healthcare services.