CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study                                                                                                     

Health is freedom from disease or injury and any limitation the disease or injury might impose. It is a degree of wellness or wellbeing that a client experiences which is often expressed in terms of wellness or illness and may occur in the presence or absence of a disease or injury. According to Berman, Snyder, Kozier and Erb (2008), health is an ongoing process through which a person develops and encourages every aspect of the body, mind and feelings to interrelate harmoniously as much as possible. It is a state of the mind, peace and harmony with ourselves and one’s physical and social environment. Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) (1998) pointed out that health is a fundamental human right and a social goal that is essential for the satisfaction of basic human needs and to improved quality of life. This is why the goal of Health For All Policy of 1988 stipulated that health should be brought within the reach of everyone in a given community (Park, 2003). This Health For All policy emphasized Primary Health Care (PHC) as the key to developing the health care delivery system in all countries of the world. Deep concern also about health care for mothers and children coupled with an effort to curb the high maternal and child mortality led to the global strategy of Primary Health Care.

Berman, et al (2008) opined that Primary Health care is an essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology. It is a system that provides health-related services within the context of people’s daily life. Primary Health Care strives for universal access to and affordability of healthcare, support and empowerment of the client, and targets those at risk for preventable health problems. Primary Health Care has eight components of which Maternal and Child Health Service is one of them. According to Lu and Bragonier (2002), Maternal and Child Health Service is a health service meant for mothers and children as well as a profession within public health committed to promoting the health status and future challenges of mothers and children. Lucas and Gilles (2003) also stated that Maternal and Child Health care services are designed to meet the special health needs of mothers and children. They believed that special healthcare services for mothers and children are vital because maternal and childhood diseases make a substantial contribution to burden of diseases among mothers and children. So, Maternal and Child Health Service is an important dimension of community health specially meant for mothers and children to guarantee their physical, mental, spiritual and social well being and development. Maternal and Child Health Service has some components which include:

• Antenatal care that refers to pregnant –related healthcare provided by doctors, nurses/ midwives and other health professionals to all pregnant mothers to reduce the incidence of maternal and child mortality  among them.
• Family planning through which the number of mothers dying can be lowered both by reducing the risk associated with pregnancy and the number of unwanted pregnancy.
• Immunization that helps in protecting the mothers against tetanus and in fighting against the childhood killer diseases such as measles, tuberculosis, diphtheria, neo-natal tetanus, whooping cough and poliomyelitis among children.
• Nutrition that is essential for the pregnant mothers and children as inadequate nutrition can cause anaemia and malnutrition in pregnancy and stunted growth in children.
• Delivery services which ensure that the best type of care is given to the mother during the crucial period of delivering a baby so that the mother survives and looks after her baby and does not develop any complications.
• Post natal care service which guarantees that mothers do not experience complications following delivery and also provides opportunity to assess the mother and child.
• Health Education that provides an opportunity during which mothers are given necessary information concerning pregnancy and childbirth.
• Counseling service which becomes essential following the assessment of the mother or child and possible detection of any health condition that requires advice (Adesokan, 2011).

The current Maternal and Child Health Service objectives lie in the services developed to improve the welfare of mothers and children. This agrees with Guar (2011) who maintained that the mission of Maternal and Child Health Service is to improve the availability of and access to high quality, preventive and primary health care for all mothers and children. The objectives of Maternal and Child Health Service as outlined by Lucas and Gilles (2003) are:

1. To ensure that pregnant mothers remain healthy throughout pregnancy, have healthy babies and recover fully from the physiological changes that take place during pregnancy and child delivery.
2. To promote the health of children (0-5 years) to ensure their optimal growth and physical and mental development.
3. To protect children from major hazards through specific measures e.g. immunization and food supplements.
4. To treat diseases (e.g. malaria, pneumonia) and disorders with particular emphasis on early diagnosis.

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