MATERNAL MORBIDITY AND UTILISATION OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES: AN ANALYSIS OF SLUM WOMEN IN MEGA CITIES OF INDIA

Objective: In bigger cities, slum dwelling women are reported to be unprivileged in terms of seeking health care services. An attempt is made to understand the patterns and levels of maternal morbidity and health care utilization. Also, to study the impact of socio-economic background on utilization which augments maternal morbidity.

Design and methodology: Data from a sample of 9003 women from top ten cities is selected. The national level Reproductive and Child Health Survey was conducted during 2007-08. Apart from primary level analyses, odds ratios of the effects of socio-economic factors on maternal morbidity are examined.

Setting: These cities are highly populated and a majority of them are the capitals of the states which that attract wide streams of migrants across the country. These mega cities are hierarchically ranked by Census of India, 2011.

Results: The women reported multiple complications during pregnancy, particularly during and post delivery. But, merely 22 percent have sought ante-natal and post natal care services.

Conclusions: Despite visible gaps in maternal morbidity and utilization to health care services, progressive efforts have been made in improving maternal health. The services are needed to viable, accessible and extensively spread in order to increase utilization.