Socioeconomic Inequalities in Utilization of Continuum of Care for Maternal Health Services in Nepal: Focusing on Caste/Ethnicity and Wealth

Seminar no. 1231
16 September 2023 Time 12.30 – 13.30 hrs.

Speaker: Mr.Sujan Karki (Ph.D. student, IPSR, Mahidol University)

Maternal health care services are part of the sustainable development goal (SDG) where this goal ensures healthy lives and promotes well-being for all at all ages. The continuum of care for maternal health is accessing care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. The loss of women is always observed while utilizing services from each stage of care to another stage. Completing all three care is the full continuum of care in maternal health services. Adapting concepts of the continuum of care in maternal health improves maternal as well as neonatal health. Caste/ethnicity and poverty are the major factors for inequalities utilization of health services in Nepal as well as in the global context. Rooted discrimination among different castes/ethnicities is the major reason for inequalities in service access and utilization. The study aims to explore the underlying factors for the utilization of a continuum of care for maternal health in Nepal. The study design will be a cross-sectional explorative study. The study will use a mixed-method approach consisting of both qualitative and quantitative studies. Quantitative study design will assess the user perspective to get the singular reality on inequalities utilization and qualitative study design will identify the multiple realities of inequalities utilization with interaction from programmer and provider related to maternal health services. The findings from the study will be helpful for developing/revising plans and policies to strengthen maternal health services programs for specific target groups in Nepal.