Manpower capacity and reasons for staff shortage in primary health care maternity centres in Nigeria: a mixed-methods study
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Date
2019-10
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
United kingdom BioMed Central Ltd.
Abstract
Background: The heart-breaking maternal and neonatal health indicators in Nigeria are not improving despite
previous interventions, such as ‘Health for all’ and ‘Millennium Development Goals. The unattained health-related
goals/targets of previous interventions put the success of the new Sustainable Development Goals in doubt if the
existing paradigm remains unchanged. Thus, mere branding of health policies without improving what constitutes the
health system such as manpower capacity and quality as well as staff-patients ratio will be wasteful efforts. This issue of
global public health concern provided an indication for describing the capacity of manpower and reasons for staff
shortage in primary level of health that are providing maternity services to women and their new-borns in Nigeria.
Methods: This is an embedded mixed-methods study. Its quantitative strand collected data with the aid of a
structured questionnaire from 127 health workers across the 21 purposively selected primary health care centres in five
local government areas. Descriptive statistics were employed for analysis. The qualitative strand of the study collected
data through in depth interviews from medical officers of health or their representatives. The tape recorded and
transcribed data were thematically coded, while reporting was by direct quotes. The mixing of the data from both strands
was done in the discussion section.
Results: Twenty-nine (22.8%) of the health workers were between ages 51–58; 111 (87.4%) were married, while 44 (34.
6%) had worked for duration of 21–33 years in service. Evidences of incompetence were observed among the health
workers. A total of 92 (72.4%) had been performing episiotomies on women in labour. Similarly, 69.8% had been repairing
vaginal traumas. Nine (7.1%) knew the necessary steps of controlling postpartum vaginal bleeding, while 115 (91.3%) of
them had not been trained in Life-Saving Scheme and post-abortions care.
Conclusion: The shortage of manpower, disproportional skilled/semi-skilled ratio, lack of framework for staff recruitment,
staff incompetence and inappropriate childbirth practices show that women were not receiving quality maternal and
neonatal cares at the maternity centres.
Description
Keywords
Manpower, Staff shortage, Capacity, Primary health care, Maternity care, Nigeria