Community Involvement to Increase Utilization of Maternal Health Services: Experiences from Rural Bangladesh

Tasnima Kibria, Population Council
Ubaidur Rob, Population Council
Moshiur Rahman, Population Council
Mohammad Masudul Alam, Population Council

In Bangladesh, utilization of maternal health care is low among the poor women. The study aimed to investigate the effects of community involvement in maternal health care financing scheme to improve utilization of pregnancy and delivery care from trained service providers. Community members were engaged to select poor pregnant women, create awareness in the community through several behavior change communication activities and organize regular monthly meetings for identifying barriers and possible solutions to improve utilization of maternity care. Periodic documentations and in-depth interviews were carried out. Baseline and endline surveys were conducted among poor mothers to see the effects of intervention. Findings suggest that utilization of Ante Natal Care, delivery and Post Natal Care from trained service providers has increased significantly in part due to active participation of community members in the study.