Effects of the Free Maternity Care Program on utilization of services at a County Referral Hospital in Kenya

Abstract

Introduction: Many countries have come up with various reproductive health interventions with the aim of reducing the maternal mortality. In Kenya, one such key intervention is the introduction of the Free Maternity Care Program whose objective is to increase access and improve utilization of maternity services with the aim of reducing maternal mortality.

Objective: The study sought to determine the effects of Free Maternity Care program (FMC) on utilization of maternity services at Kakamega County Referral Hospital.

Methods: Hospital based cross-sectional descriptive design involving both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. Two hundred and twenty three (223) post natal mothers selected systematically were interviewed. Desk review of 30% of total patient delivery files was done. Independent T-test and chi-square were used in analysis which was done by use of SPSS version 20. P of <0.05 was considered significant. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically.

Findings: There was a significant difference in mean number of deliveries between the pre and post free maternity program periods (p=0.001). However, there was no difference in the number of new ANC clients and postnatal attendance (p=0.790 and p=0.449) respectively. Majority of the clients interviewed were satisfied with the services offered.

Conclusion and Recommendations: In conclusion, the Free Maternity Care Program has led to increased utilization of facility deliveries similar to other countries with similar programs. All efforts should be made to sustain the FMC program including the policy makers addressing the challenges. Monitoring and evaluation of the program is essential to foresee its sustainability.