Women's experiences with maternity care in public health facilities of Assam, India.

Abstract

India is committed to Sustainable Development Goal 3 of reducing the national maternal mortality ratio to <70/100,000 live births by 2030. This article describes women's experiences of maternity care in public health facilities in three districts of the north-eastern Indian state of Assam. Fourteen focus-group discussions were carried out among 149 married women aged 18-45 years belonging to different ethnic communities. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach and organized using a framework of dimensions of maternal satisfaction. The findings suggest that access and distance were important considerations determining maternal care quality, especially in the two remote districts. Women reported inadequate infrastructure, lack of cleanliness, and poor access to medicines. Lack of prompt care was identified as an important issue, and women complained about being left unattended during labor and facing obstetric violence in the labor room. Our findings point toward the need to strengthen referral transport systems and establish maternity waiting homes in remote areas. It is important to also sensitize health providers about obstetric violence and the right of women to receive prompt and respectful maternity care.