The Promises in Peril-Continuum of Maternal Health Care Services in North Indian Urban Fringe

Maternal health is commonly acknowledged as one of the most significant and challenging health indicators. Targeted MMR still faces significant obstacles, mainly because of the inequality, availability, and accessibility of the continuum of maternal health services (CMHS). This study was conducted to assess the status of utilization, determinants, and satisfaction of /with CMHS in the North Indian urban fringe. A community-based study including 310 recently delivered women (RDWs) was carried out. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to gather the data through household surveys, and SPSS 26.0 was used to analyze it. Full utilization of antenatal care (ANC), intra-natal care (INC), and post-natal care (PNC) were 158 (51%), 228 (73.5%), and 92; (29.7%) respectively. Birth order, the husband's educational level, previous pregnancy complications, the family structure, the first ANC visit, and the location of the ANC were all significant (p<0.05) predictors of full ANC utilization. Significant (p<0.05) predictors of full utilization of INC included husband and RDWs education levels and complications from prior pregnancies. The husband's age, birth order, and level of education were all significant (p<0.05) predictors of full utilization of PNC. Full utilization of overall CMHS was only 60 (19.4%). More than 70% of RDWs expressed satisfaction with the quality of CMHS. Post-natal care is acting as a bottleneck in the adequate Utilization of CMHS. To satisfy commitments and reach the target established by SDG, a systematic approach is required to thoroughly examine the gaps by population requirements and discover efficient solutions fast.