Community Preference for Genders of Midwives in Providing Maternal and New-Born Care in Yei River State, South Sudan
Abstract:
The study investigated the community
preferences of the gender of Midwives for providing maternal and new-born care.
Skilled birth attendance (SBA) at
health facility in South Sudan stagnated at 14.7% from
2006 to 2018 this is per below the 49% in East Africa, 69% in Sub-Saharan Africa and
81% globally. Community preferences of the
gender, attitudes/behaviours of the Midwives and Socio-demographic factors could be attributed to
this. A qualitative research involving in-depth and key
informants’ interviews of 65 respondents from various groups in the community.
Respondents were selected purposively and through snowballing technique. Data
were analysed using thematic framework. Three major themes and eight sub themes
were identified. These showed that community including women of child bearing (WCBA
) prefer female Midwives in the provision of antenatal care (ANC) services while
WCBA who have been attended to by both male and female midwives explained that
they prefer male Midwives in assisting them during childbirth as they are
considered polite, composed, considerate and quick. The study
concludes that if all WCBA are attended to by male Midwives many would prefer
male Midwives. The
study recommends more studies to explore on midwife’s gender preference in the
whole country.
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