Abstract
Children as a vulnerable group bear an undue share of the global burden of
disease. Attention to the provision of quality child health services can prevent
many diseases that cause severe illness and death in children in developing
countries. Child health services form part of the maternal and child health
services, one of the components of primary health care. Quality child health
services if made available at the primary health care level will produce an
effective and efficient outcome; reduce child morbidity and mortality and
ultimately the attainment of the MDG – 4. The study was conducted from 15th
September to 30th November, 2009 to assess the quality of child health services in
the Public PHC facilities in Nnewi North LGA of Anambra state.
Methodology.
The study was a cross – sectional descriptive study that assessed the quality of
child health services and its determinants in the LGA using both qualitative and
quantitative methods. Focus group discussion of caregi
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Children and women form three-quarters of the population in low and middle income
countries such as Nigeria. They are also the most vulnerable and most sensitive to their
environment. As such, children bear an undue share of the global burden of diseases.1
Although major gains were made in the reduction of childhood health indicators in the
previous decade, observations are that stagnations or even reversals were seen in many
countries since the 1990s.
1 One of the reasons given for this is low level of utilization of
quality health services. Another reason is that the concept of quality has not received
much attention in these developing countries, coupled with economic decline, political
instability, and emigration of health professionals amongst other factors.
1
This has drawn the interest of many international agencies like the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), Rockfellers
Foundation, among others to plan programmes for interventions on these alarmingly
poor health indices.These intervention programmes have been developed through
integrated approaches (Primary Health Care, Integrated Management of Childhood
Illnesses), selective parallel programmes (Child Survival Strategies) and development
programmes. The latest of such commitments by these international agencies, were
made at the Millennium Summit in September 2000, from which the Millennium
Declaration, and subsequently, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) emerged.
Also at the UN General Assembly’s Special Session on Children in May 2002, this issue
resulted in the outcome document ‘A World Fit for Children’. These two compacts
complement each other, and taken together, form a strategy – a Millennium agenda – for
protecting childhood in the opening years of the 21st century.
In the year 2000, representatives of 189 nations, including 147 heads of state and
government, gathered at the United Nations for a historic Millennium Summit. They
adopted a set of goals, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Achieving these
goals by the target date of 2015 will transform the lives of the world’s people. The
MDGs are made up of 8 goals, 18 targets and 48 indicators out of which 3 goals, 8
targets and 18 indicators, are directly related to health. 2.
The Millennium Development Goal number four, is about the reduction of child
mortality.2,3. The main target of MDG 4 is to: reduce under – five mortality rates
(U5MR) by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. The indicators numbers 13,14 and 15
are: under – five mortality rates (U5MR), infant mortality rates (IMR) and the
proportion of 1 year old children immunized against measles.
2,3. U5MR and IMR
measure such indices as: the level of immunization against common childhood diseases;
the nutritional state and health knowledge of mothers; availability of maternal and child
health services within five kilometers or 30 minutes walk.
2, 3.
2
These children form the base of the nation’s human resource development and it is only
ideal that the society provides the supportive and enabling environment for the optimal
attainment of their innate qualities. Assessment of the quality of these child health
services that are offered through Primary Health Care facilties in the LGA is a way of
assessing the progress towards the attainment of MDG 4, and is undertaken in this study.
1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT
High rates of under–five and infant mortalities still persist.These unnecessary mortalities
reflect a significant breakdown of basic services, and in particular of primary health care
in the country. 4 Coverage and utilization of these interventions are correspondingly low.
The Nigerian health situation makes it a major sector in the global achievement of
MDGs 4.
4
Achieving the MDG 4 means tackling such problems as low immunization coverage,
inadequate provision of clean and potable water, lack of infrastructures like good roads
and transportation in the rural areas. Other problems to tackle include: unavailability of
basic obstetric and neonatal care in most health facilities, low education level of
mothers, unwholesome sale of expired drugs in the rural areas and urban slums. It is also
necessary to increase political will on the part of government, as health budget still
remains about 5% of national budget.
5
Quality of care reflects how the available resources have been utilized to produce an
effective and efficient outcome. However, very few studies have been done on the
assessment of the quality of primary health care in most developing countries. This
number further dwindles when the quality of child health services is particularly referred
to.
In the Nigerian health system, formal mechanisms to assess quality of care are yet to be
developed.2 Evaluation of PHC programmes has focused mainly on coverage. A little
attention is paid to assessing the quality of service provided.6 An assessment of the
quality of the health service will indicate the degree of its worth and is no doubt a step
towards determining its effectiveness and ultimately the attainment of the MDG-4.
1.2 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY
Globally, the quality of health care services for children can be better than what it is,
especially as these children constitute one of the vulnerable groups in the society. In
Nigeria high childhood morbidity and mortality from preventable causes remain major
public health problems. How then can we achieve the MDG-4, when the deficiencies in
the health system account for these alarmingly poor health statistics?
3
Assessment of the quality of child health services serves as an appraisal of the degree of
worth of these services to meet the identified needs as contained in the Millennium
Declaration. It is necessary to ensure that the limited resources allocated to health care,
inspite of growing demands is effectively utilized to meet the health needs of the people.
Quality assessment is also a managerial process to ensure that standards are maintained
with the aim of improving the effectiveness of services. Assessment of health service
effectiveness is a wider concern for assurance of quality of care
It is also important in this era of health sector reforms so as to serve as a basis for
recommendation of appropriate intervention towards the improvement of the quality of
child health services with a consequent reduction of morbidity and mortality in
children.This will facilitate the attainment of MGD-4 which is to reduce child
mortality.The study would also contribute to research in the quality of child health
services in Nigeria.
1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES
Aim
To assess the quality of child health services and its determinants in the PHC facilities
of Nnewi North Local Government (NNLG) Area Anambra state.
Specific objectives
1. To determine the availability of child health services in PHC facilities of NNLG
Area Anambra state.
2. To examine the health resources (human, material and financial) available for the
provision of child health services in PHC facilities of NNLG Area Anambra state.
3. To study the quality of supervision of child health services in the PHC facilities.
4. To assess the level of clients’ satisfaction with care received at these PHC
facilities.
5. To identify factors influencing the quality of child health services in NNLG.