Abstract:

The objectives of this publication are to find the historical background of maternal and child health care delivery, the incidence of maternal and child mortality, causes of maternal and child mortality, challenges in accessing maternal health care services of Nigeria. Data for the study were sourced from both primary and secondary means. Primary data was drawn through questionnaire and hospital records. Questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 369 respondents out of 4,740 population of staff of four purposely selected largest hospitals in Makurdi, Benue State. The sample size was determined through Taro Yamane’s formula, while the Bourley’s proportional allocation formula was used to determine the sample size per each hospital. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics like tables, percentages, mean and standard deviation, while the test of hypotheses were done through Chi-square. The analyzed result shows that; the availability of maternal and child health care services in the hospitals were poor; accessibility of maternal and child health care services was also poor; Furthermore, Maternal and infant mortality is essentially high and increasing in hospitals of Makurdi, Benue State Nigeria. Several challenges are militating against effective healthcare delivery, therefore, the study recommended, among others, that government and other stakeholders should make conscious efforts to ensure that adequate facilities, tools, and equipment are provided for the hospitals to enhance the quality of maternal and child healthcare services in the Benue State of Nigeria.

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