%0 Journal Article %T An assessment of essential maternal health services in Kwara state, Nigeria. %A R Saidu %A EM August %A AP Alio %A HM Salihu %A MJ Saka %A AAG Jimoh %J African Journal of Reproductive Health %D 2013 %I Women's Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC) %X The objective of this study is to evaluate the levels of emergency obstetrics care (EOC) signal functions in health facilities in a developing setting with high maternal morbidity and mortality indices and to determine if there are differences between public and private health facilities in terms of availability of these signal functions. A survey of health facilities was carried out in six of the 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kwara State Nigeria. All health facilities in these LGAs including public and private health facilities offering some services to pregnant women were surveyed using an interviewer- administered, facility-assessment questionnaire adapted from the WHO/UNFPA/UNICEF international guidelines for monitoring the availability and use of obstetric services. Frequency tables, percentages and charts were used for presenting the data. Comparing public and private facilities was done using chi-square tests. A total of 258 health facilities that provide maternal health services were surveyed in this study, out of which 76 (29.5%) were private facilities and 182 (70.5%) were public sector facilities. Most of the UN indicators were not met by the health facilities in Kwara state. The availability of EOC facilities was more among the private sector and this was statistically significant. This study shows that all stakeholders involved in reducing maternal mortality have a big challenge in the areas of availability, inequity in geographical distribution of EOC facilities and poor utilisation of these EOC services by women. R¨¦sum¨¦ Cette ¨¦tude a comme objectif d'¨¦valuer les niveaux de fonctions des signalisation de soins obst¨¦tricaux d'urgence (SOU), dans les ¨¦tablissements de sant¨¦ dans un cadre de d¨¦veloppement ayant des indices de la morbidit¨¦ maternelle ¨¦lev¨¦s et de d¨¦terminer s'il existe des diff¨¦rences entre les ¨¦tablissements de sant¨¦ publics et priv¨¦s en ce qui concerne la disponibilit¨¦ de ces fonctions de signalisation. Une enqu¨ºte aupr¨¨s des ¨¦tablissements de sant¨¦ a ¨¦t¨¦ men¨¦e dans six des 16 zones d¡¯Administrations locales (AL) de l'¨¦tat de Kwara au Nig¨¦ria. Tous les ¨¦tablissements de sant¨¦ dans ces r¨¦gions locales, y compris les ¨¦tablissements de sant¨¦ publics et priv¨¦s, qui assurent des services aux femmes enceintes, ont ¨¦t¨¦ interrog¨¦s ¨¤ l'aide d¡¯un questionnaire destin¨¦ ¨¤ l¡¯¨¦valuation des ¨¦tablissements. Le questionnaire qui a ¨¦t¨¦ adapt¨¦ ¨¦t¨¦ ¨¤ partir des lignes directrices internationales de l¡¯OMS / FNUAP / UNICEF pour la surveillance la disponibilit¨¦ et l'utilisation des services obst¨¦tricaux a ¨¦t¨¦ administr¨¦ par un intervieweur. Les tables de fr¨¦quences, des pourcentages et des graphiques ont ¨¦t¨¦ utilis¨¦s pour pr¨¦senter les donn¨¦es. La comparaison des ¨¦tablissements publics et priv¨¦s a ¨¦t¨¦ effectu¨¦e ¨¤ l'aide des tests du chi-carr¨¦. Au total, 258 ¨¦tablissements de sant¨¦ qui assurent des services de sant¨¦ maternelle ont ¨¦t¨¦ enqu¨ºt¨¦s dans cette ¨¦tude, dont 76 (29,5%) ont ¨¦t¨¦ des ¨¦tablissements priv¨¦s et 182 (70,5%) ¨¦taient d %U http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajrh/article/view/86430