Midwives Services Scheme: A Purposive Assessment of Performance in Enugu State, Nigeria

Ending preventable maternal and infant deaths can be achieved by improving access to skilled health professionals. This study examined and elicited the contributions of the intervention of Midwives Services Scheme (MSS) on maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in participating rural primary health facilities in Enugu State of Nigeria, between 2009 and 2015 when the programme was properly funded. The study was carried out at four purposively selected Primary Health Facilities in Enugu State where midwives have been deployed. The study design was a retrospective comparative study. Secondary data was obtained through medical records at the facilities. Findings revealed that there was an initial increase in the proportion of pregnant women that attended antenatal care, an increased number of deliveries by midwives and increased number of Family Planning Attendance from 2012 to 2013 when compared to baseline data of 2009.The study also found increased infant child immunization in the selected health facilities when compared to baseline data of 2009. However, there was a noticeable decline in all the indicators in 2014. The establishment of MSS is a laudable health policy as it elicits improved equity in the distribution of health resources and will go a long way in improving health outcomes of maternal, newborn and child health services delivery. However, the gains of the scheme were short-lived as shown from data collected from 2014. Key words: Maternal mortality, Neonatal mortality, Primary Health care, Maternal and Child health, Skilled birth attendants