Mapping Maternal and Newborn Healthcare Access in West African Countries

Dorothy N. Ononokpono, University of Uyo, Nigeria
Bernard Baffour, Australian National University
Alice Richardson, The Australian National University ACT 2601

Improvement in maternal and newborn health requires evidence based data on concealed inequities in the distribution of maternal and newborn health outcomes and their linkage to healthcare access. This study examined and mapped the distribution of women of reproductive age (WRA), pregnancies and live births at sub-national level, and quantified the number of pregnancies within user-defined distances of a health facility in three poor resource West African countries: Mali, Guinea and Liberia. We utilized WorldPop data derived from an integration of satellite, census and household surveys. Buffer analysis and zonal statistics were used to estimate the proximity of pregnancies to health facilities. Results showed heterogeneity in the distribution of WRA, pregnancies and live births; and considerable inadequate access to maternal and newborn healthcare services across the countries’ districts. There is need to bridge the gap in inequity in healthcare access, and improve maternal and newborn health in disadvantaged districts.