Page 12 - EMBRACE Book

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Maternal Care

When it comes to mothers receiving the healthcare they need, there are two broad issues:
access to health care and the quality of care. These two broad issues are broken down into
what is known as the three-delay model.

Firstly, mothers delay seeking medical care due to the low status of women, the acceptance of
maternal deaths, poor understanding of the risks involved in pregnancy, negative health care
experiences in the past, and financial constraints.

The EMBRACE project addressed this first delay by training mothers, fathers, community
leaders, and health care providers on the life-saving importance of prenatal and post-natal
check-ups, as well as giving birth in a health facility. The project also helped to establish
savings and loans groups, thereby enabling families to save money towards medical
emergencies and have easy access to small loans.

Mothers also delay seeking medical care because health facilities are far away, perhaps over
mountains, rivers, or on the mainland. Transportation can be expensive, unavailable, or even
dangerous.

By donating ambulances, establishing community-based transportation systems, and
constructing health clinics and “halfway homes,” the EMBRACE project has helped to address
this second delay.

When mothers do make the decision to seek health care and make the effort to arrive at a
health facility, there can be a delay in receiving adequate care. This can be due to poor
facilities lacking medical supplies. It can also be due to inadequately trained staff.

The EMBRACE project has outfitted facilities with birthing tables, beds, and other needed
supplies. It has also provided training to the staff so they are able to improve their practices.

Photo: © 2019 ADRA | Frank Spangler