Abstract

Christiana Abidemi Adefi and Omolola Irinoye

Midwives Service Scheme (MSS) was introduced in 2009 to reduce maternal and child mortality and morbidity in Nigeria. The study aimed to provide an independent appraisal of MSS, as it relates to expected activities of midwives and community members’ judgment of the scheme, compared with non-MSS facilities. Exploratory study was conducted using systematic and purposive sampling method to select 400 mothers and 49 gatekeepers respectively. Questionnaire, interview guide and hospital checklist were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive (frequencies, percentages and tables) and inferential (Mann-Whitney U test) statistical methods. Findings showed that higher proportion (93.3%) of MSS mothers had positive perception of midwives’ interventions compared to non-MSS mothers (53.3%). Also, there was a statistically significant difference in the perception of midwives’ interventions by mothers in MSS and non-MSS communities (U=239.00, p =0.001). Study also showed that majority of MSS community members recognized the interventions of midwives, especially those that are community-based, compared to non-MSS community members. Conclusively, MSS community members positively perceived midwives’ interventions better than their counterparts in non-MSS communities. Due to community-based MCH services, MCH outcomes were better in MSS communities than non-MSS communities, thus validating the positive impact of midwives’ interventions in improving MCH.