Maternal health services available to pregnant women and nursing mothers domiciled in the internally displaced persons' camp

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Insurgent activities have displaced lots of people and compelled them to flee or leave their towns and home, making women vulnerable to morbidity and mortality. Assessing maternal health services available to pregnant women and nursing mothers in internally displaced camps can help improve their health status and reduce maternal and neonatal death. AIMS: This study aimed to assess maternal health services available and their associated factors among pregnant women and nursing mothers in an internally displaced person's camp. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive research design was used for this study. METHODS: The availability sampling technique was adopted to recruit women who have assessed maternal health services in the camp. A self-structured questionnaire was utilized as the research instrument and the data were presented using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A mean age of the respondents was 32 ± 7.18. The majority are multigravida (53.8%), with four (7.7%) having their first baby in the health facility available in the camp and the maternal health services available seem to be adequate for now, but the country may soon run out of space, because of the constant increase in the number of displaced persons. CONCLUSION: To further improve services, the study recommends that government should intervene in the funding of maternal health-care services, proper documentation of mortality rate in the camp and make an ambulance available for emergency cases.

Keywords

• assessment
• internally displaced
• maternal health
• nigeria
• pregnant women