Search

Burkina Faso has implemented a nationwide free healthcare policy (gratuité) for pregnant and lactating women and children under 5 years since April 2016. Studies have shown that free healthcare policies can increase healthcare service use. However, the emerging coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, escalating insecurity and the political situation in recent years might have affected the implementation of such policies. No studies have looked at whether the gratuité maintained high service use under such changing circumstances. Our study aimed to assess the effects of gratuité on the utilization of facility-based delivery and curative care of children under 5 years in light of this changing context. We employed a controlled interrupted time series analysis using data from the Health Management Information System and annual statistical reports of 2560 primary health facilities from January 2013 to December 2021. We focused on facility-based deliveries and curative care for children under 5 years, with antenatal care and curative care for children over 5 years as non-equivalent controls. We employed segmented regression with the generalized least square model, accounting for autocorrelation and monthly seasonality. The monthly utilization rate among children under 5 years compared to those above 5 years (controls) immediately increased by 111.19 visits per 1000 children (95% CI: 91.12, 131.26) due to the gratuité. This immediate effect declined afterwards with a monthly change of 0.93 per 1000 children (95% CI: −1.57, −0.29). We found no significant effects, both immediate and long-term, on the use of maternal care services attributable to the gratuité. Our findings suggest that free healthcare policies can be instrumental in improving healthcare, yet more comprehensive strategies are needed to maintain healthcare utilization. Our findings reflect the overall situation in the country, while localized research is needed to understand the effect of insecurity and the pandemic at the local level and the effects of gratuité across geographies and socioeconomic statuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mariamawit Negatou,1 Mady Ouedraogo,2 Philippe Donnen,3 Elisabeth Paul,3 Sekou Samadoulougou,4,5,* Fati Kirakoya-Samadoulougou1,* 1Centre de Recherche en Epidémiologie, Biostatistiques et Recherche Clinique, École de Santé Publique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgique; 2Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INSD), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 3Centre de Recherche en Politiques et Systèmes de Santé – Santé Internationale, École de Santé Publique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgique; 4Centre for Research on Planning and Development (CRAD), Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada; 5Evaluation Platform on Obesity Prevention, Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, Quebec City, Quebec, G1V 4G5, Canada*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Mariamawit NegatouCentre de Recherche en Épidémiologie, Biostatistique et Recherche Clinique, École de Santé Publique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, BelgiqueTel +251911747363Email mariamawitbrouk@gmail.comBackground: In 2016, a free healthcare policy (FHP) was implemented in Burkina Faso for children under the age of five. In our study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of care-seeking for a fever in children under the age of five before and after the implementation of the FHP and to analyze the determinants of not seeking care under the FHP.Methods: The data of three nationally representative surveys were used to evaluate the trends of the prevalence of care-seeking. We performed a modified Poisson regression using a generalized estimating equation to determine the factors associated with not seeking care.Results: The prevalence for care seeking increased from 57.5% (95% CI, 54.2– 60.8) in 2014 to 72.3% (95% CI, 68.1– 76.2) in 2017. Children from the poor quintile were less likely to seek care when compared to children from the poorest quintile (prevalence ratio (PR) = 0.7 (95% CI, 0.5– 0.9)). Caregivers who did not have messages regarding malaria in the past six months were more likely not to seek care (PR = 0.8 (95% CI, 0.7– 0.9)). Caregivers of children aged 36– 59 months were more likely not to seek care compared to those aged < 12 months (PR = 1.6 (95% CI, 1.2– 2.1)). Children from the Boucle du Mouhoun region (PR = 1.9 (95% CI, 1.2– 3.2)) and the Centre-Est region (PR = 1.9 (95% CI, 1.2– 3.0)) were more likely not to seek care compared to children from the Sud Ouest region.Conclusion: Our study showed an increase in the prevalence of care-seeking after the implementation of the FHP. Even if this is encouraging, these findings highlight the critical importance of non-financial barriers to care-seeking. Maintaining FHP and tackling the barriers should be considered by policy makers to increase care-seeking.Keywords: fever, free healthcare policy, care-seeking, children under-five, Burkina Faso

Abstract Background Free maternal healthcare financing schemes play an essential role in the quality of services rendered to clients during antenatal care in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, healthcare managers’ and providers’ perceptions of the healthcare financing scheme may influence the quality of care. This scoping review mapped evidence on managers’ and providers’ perspectives of free maternal healthcare and the quality of care in SSA. Methods We used Askey and O’Malley’s framework as a guide to conduct this review. To address the research question, we searched PubMed, CINAHL through EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar with no date limitation to May 2019 using keywords, Boolean terms, and Medical Subject Heading terms to retrieve relevant articles. Both abstract and full articles screening were conducted independently by two reviewers using the inclusion and exclusion criteria as a guide. All significant data were extracted, organized into themes, and a summary of the findings reported narratively. Results In all, 15 out of 390 articles met the inclusion criteria. These 15 studies were conducted in nine countries. That is, Ghana (4), Kenya (3), and Nigeria (2), Burkina Faso (1), Burundi (1), Niger (1), Sierra Leone (1), Tanzania (1), and Uganda (1). Of the 15 included studies, 14 reported poor quality of maternal healthcare from managers’ and providers’ perspectives. Factors contributing to the perception of poor maternal healthcare included: late reimbursement of funds, heavy workload of providers, lack of essential drugs and stock-out of medical supplies, lack of policy definition, out-of-pocket payment, and inequitable distribution of staff. Conclusion This study established evidence of existing literature on the quality of care based on healthcare providers’ and managers’ perspectives though very limited. This study indicates healthcare providers and managers perceive the quality of maternal healthcare under the free financing policy as poor. Nonetheless, the free maternal care policy is very much needed towards achieving universal health, and all efforts to sustain and improve the quality of care under it must be encouraged. Therefore, more research is needed to better understand the impact of their perceived poor quality of care on maternal health outcomes.

Abstract Background The world aims to achieve universal health coverage by removing all forms of financial barriers to improve access to healthcare as well as reduce maternal and child deaths by 2030. Although free maternal healthcare has been embraced as a major intervention towards this course in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the perception of the quality of healthcare may influence utilization and maternal health outcomes. We systematically mapped literature and described the evidence on maternal perceptions of the quality of care under the free care financing policies in SSA. Methods We employed the Arskey and O’Malley’s framework to guide this scoping review. We searched without date limitations to 19th May 2019 for relevant published articles in PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, and CINAHL using a combination of keywords, Boolean terms, and medical subject headings. We included primary studies that involved pregnant/post-natal mothers, free maternal care policy, quality of care, and was conduct in an SSA country. Two reviewers independently screened the articles at the abstract and full-text screening guided by inclusion and exclusion criteria. All relevant data were extracted and organized into themes and a summary of the results reported narratively. The recent version of the mixed methods appraisal tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Results Out of 390 studies, 13 were identified to have evidence of free maternal healthcare and client perceived quality of care. All the 13 studies were conducted in 7 different countries. We found three studies each from Ghana and Kenya, two each in Burkina Faso and Nigeria, and a study each from Niger, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. Of the 13 included studies, eight reported that pregnant women perceived the quality of care under the free maternal healthcare policy to be poor. The following reasons accounted for the poor perception of service quality: long waiting time, ill-attitudes of providers, inadequate supply of essential drugs and lack of potable water, unequal distribution of skilled birth attendants, out-of-pocket payment and weak patient complaint system. Conclusion This study suggests few papers exist that looked at maternal perceptions of the quality of care in the free care policy in SSA. Considering the influence mothers perceptions of the quality of care can have on future health service utilisation, further studies at the household, community, and health facility levels are needed to help unearth and address all hidden quality of care challenges and improve maternal health services towards attaining the sustainable development goals on maternal and child health.

Background: Free maternal healthcare financing schemes play an essential role in the quality of services rendered to clients during antenatal care in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, healthcare managers' and providers' perceptions of the healthcare financing scheme may influence the quality of care. This scoping review mapped evidence on managers' and providers' perspectives of free maternal healthcare and the quality of care in SSA.Methods: We used Askey and O'Malley's framework as a guide to conduct this review. To address the research question, we searched PubMed, CINAHL through EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar with no date limitation to May 2019 using keywords, Boolean terms, and Medical Subject Heading terms to retrieve relevant articles. Both abstract and full articles screening were conducted independently by two reviewers using the inclusion and exclusion criteria as a guide. All significant data were extracted, organized into themes, and a summary of the findings reported narratively.Results: In all, 15 out of 390 articles met the inclusion criteria. These 15 studies were conducted in nine countries. That is, Ghana (4), Kenya (3), and Nigeria (2), Burkina Faso (1), Burundi (1), Niger (1), Sierra Leone (1), Tanzania (1), and Uganda (1). Of the 15 included studies, 14 reported poor quality of maternal healthcare from managers' and providers' perspectives. Factors contributing to the perception of poor maternal healthcare included: late reimbursement of funds, heavy workload of providers, lack of essential drugs and stock-out of medical supplies, lack of policy definition, out-of-pocket payment, and inequitable distribution of staff.Conclusion: This study established evidence of existing literature on the quality of care based on healthcare providers' and managers' perspectives though very limited. This study indicates healthcare providers and managers perceive the quality of maternal healthcare under the free financing policy as poor. Nonetheless, the free maternal care policy is very much needed towards achieving universal health, and all efforts to sustain and improve the quality of care under it must be encouraged. Therefore, more research is needed to better understand the impact of their perceived poor quality of care on maternal health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The world aims to achieve universal health coverage by removing all forms of financial barriers to improve access to healthcare as well as reduce maternal and child deaths by 2030. Although free maternal healthcare has been embraced as a major intervention towards this course in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the perception of the quality of healthcare may influence utilization and maternal health outcomes. We systematically mapped literature and described the evidence on maternal perceptions of the quality of care under the free care financing policies in SSA.Methods: We employed the Arskey and O'Malley's framework to guide this scoping review. We searched without date limitations to 19th May 2019 for relevant published articles in PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, and CINAHL using a combination of keywords, Boolean terms, and medical subject headings. We included primary studies that involved pregnant/post-natal mothers, free maternal care policy, quality of care, and was conduct in an SSA country. Two reviewers independently screened the articles at the abstract and full-text screening guided by inclusion and exclusion criteria. All relevant data were extracted and organized into themes and a summary of the results reported narratively. The recent version of the mixed methods appraisal tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies.Results: Out of 390 studies, 13 were identified to have evidence of free maternal healthcare and client perceived quality of care. All the 13 studies were conducted in 7 different countries. We found three studies each from Ghana and Kenya, two each in Burkina Faso and Nigeria, and a study each from Niger, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. Of the 13 included studies, eight reported that pregnant women perceived the quality of care under the free maternal healthcare policy to be poor. The following reasons accounted for the poor perception of service quality: long waiting time, ill-attitudes of providers, inadequate supply of essential drugs and lack of potable water, unequal distribution of skilled birth attendants, out-of-pocket payment and weak patient complaint system.Conclusion: This study suggests few papers exist that looked at maternal perceptions of the quality of care in the free care policy in SSA. Considering the influence mothers perceptions of the quality of care can have on future health service utilisation, further studies at the household, community, and health facility levels are needed to help unearth and address all hidden quality of care challenges and improve maternal health services towards attaining the sustainable development goals on maternal and child health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]