AVAILABILITY AND READINESS OF MATERNAL AND NEONATAL HEALTH SERVICES IN THE NEWLY MERGED DISTRICTS OF KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA. A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69723/njms.04.03.0629Keywords:
Maternal, Neonatal, Services, Newly Merged Districts, Khyber PakhtunkhwaAbstract
BACKGROUND: Maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity are major concerns in rural areas of KPK. One of the major causes of this is the lack of quality services.
OBJECTIVE: The study aims to evaluate MNCH services in health care facilities within the newly merged districts of KPK and to compare those services across different Health Care Centers with the Minimum Initial Service Delivery Package
METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2023 to December 2023. Primary health facilities were randomly selected, while secondary health facilities were chosen on a census basis. 10 facilities from each district will be selected, including Basic Health Units (BHUs), Rural Health Centers (RHCs), Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals (THQs), and District Headquarters Hospitals (DHQs). Data were collected using a pre-validated questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization, known as the SARA tool, which includes various variables for assessing service availability and readiness.
RESULTS: The majority of hospitals, 85.7%, are situated in urban areas, while only 14.3% are located in rural regions. Alarmingly, 66% of these facilities provide poor health services, with just 33% categorized as average and a mere 1% deemed good. There is a distinct difference in mean health service scores based on facility type; however, there is no significant difference (P = 0.567) in health care services between rural and urban facilities.
CONCLUSION:The present study showed that the health facilities in the merged districts are below the standards. Government should take measure to improve these facilities.
KEYWORDS: Maternal, Neonatal, Services, Newly Merged Districts, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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