REPOA reports on payments for pregnancy, delivery and after delivery care in Tanzanian Health Facilities

The reports titled Payment for maternal care and women’s experience of giving birth: evidence from four districts in Tanzania and Payment and quality of antenatal care in two rural districts of Tanzania, published by Research for Poverty Alleviation (REPOA) highlight the prevailing conditions in Tanzanian public health facilities as regards out of pocket payment for pregnancy, delivery and after delivery care services.Key findings from this survey include:Women in both rural and urban district still pay significantly for antenatal, delivery and postnatal care despite the national policy of free services, even in public health facilitiesOverall, payment for antenatal, delivery and postnatal care was common in public than in FBO facilities as 7% of women who delivered in FBO facilities got free services compared to only 4% in public facilities.Women were more likely to pay for delivery care services than for antenatal and postnatal care and postnatal care was the most likely services to be offered free of charge.Factors such as unavailability of services near women’s homes, unpredictable out of pocket payments, neglect by attendants while in labour and during delivery, lack of essential supplies at the health facilities, including for caesarean delivery, perceived quality of care and previous experience with the health care services still impact variously to shape women’s likelihood of accessing and utilizing delivery care at health facilities.Access and use of ANC services are largely determined by distance and ability to pay for transport and services.To read the full reports, click the titles below Payments for Maternal Care and Women’s Experiences of Giving Birth: Evidence from Four Districts in TanzaniaPayments and Quality of Ante-Natal Care in Two Rural Districts of Tanzania