Post-Intervention Health Facility Assessment of Emergency Obstetric & Neonatal Care of the Saving Mothers, Giving Life-Supported Facilities in Cross River State, Nigeria
The Saving Mothers, Giving Life (SMGL) initiative was a public-private partnership aimed at reducing maternal and newborn mortality in sub-Saharan African countries by addressing the “three delays” associated with maternal and newborn deaths: delay in deciding to seek care, delay in reaching an adequate health facility, and delay in receiving adequate and quality care at the facility. In 2015, the initiative expanded to Nigeria, with implementation focused on 108 health facilities and their surrounding communities across all 18 local government areas (LGAs) of Cross River State (CRS). Using a systems strengthening approach to implement demand and supply side maternal and newborn health (MNH) interventions, SMGL aimed to reduce the institutional maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria by 25% and the institutional neonatal mortality rate by 35% by 2019.
The purpose of the health facility assessment (HFA) was to assess the effectiveness of the SMGL initiative in improving MNH outcomes in Cross River State by comparing baseline and endline results, primarily focused on the third delay (receiving timely, quality care at the facility).