[Providing vulnerable populations in subSaharan Africa access to obstetrical care: strategy for improving prenatal services].

Abstract

The outlook for reaching key Millennium Development goals in Africa in 2015 is mostly positive. However, two critical indicators, i.e., maternal and neonatal mortality, show lagging progress. The purpose of this report is to underline the importance of prenatal care in efforts to reduce maternal mortality. It describes the minimum prenatal care package recommended by WHO and propses strategies for increasing access to prenatal examination. Health education, improvement of care quality and outreach services are promising avenues to increasing the use of prenatal services.