Barriers to accessibility and utilization of postnatal care services among mothers at Kibaha district council; a case study of Vikuge and Lupunga villages in pwani region Tanzania

This study examined barriers to the accessibility and Utilization of postnatal care services in Kibaha District council. The study sought to achieve three research objectives: to explore the perceptions on accessibility and Utilization of postnatal care services among mothers who have delivered, to assess the existing initiatives to promote the accessibility and Utilization of postnatal care services, and to identify the challenges to the accessibility and Utilization of postnatal care services. The study employed a descriptive research design and used Andersen Health Care Model as the basis of analysis. The population of the study comprised of mothers from Kibaha district council, particularly from the Villages of Vikuge and Lukunga. From this Population. The researcher used simple random. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques to obtain a simple of 135 respondents/ participants from whom the data were collected. Data were collected through social survey, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and documentary review. Then the data were analysed using factor analysis. The major finding revealed by this study is that a good number of mothers in Kibaha are aware of the post-natal care (PNC) services but they are well informed about the importance of such services. This is attributed to the fact that they obtain information about PNC mainly from peers. Relatives and friends but they obtain very little information from health experts. The study has also found that there are no major health problems experienced by mothers because of using PNC services and, therefore, most of these mothers are happy with the services provided. Further, the study reveals that are minimal initiatives taken by the government to promote accessibility and utilization of PNC services.