Ensuring the quality of maternity and child care services in primary health care centers

Abstract

Background: Quality assurance in maternity and child care services really is key, because it helps ensure safe, effective, and reachable primary health care especially in places that have limited resources, like Al-Diwaniyah Governorate, Iraq. 

Objective: The aim was to check what quality assurance protocols already exist for maternity and child care services at Al-Tale'a Primary Health Care Center in Al-Diwaniyah Governorate, and to figure out the demographic features of the participants. 

Method: This was a descriptive study that ran from January 6, 2024 to June 9, 2024. We used a simple random sample of 60 respondents, who were providers of maternity and child care services, chosen using probability sampling, which makes it more fair. Data were gathered with the Quality Assurance Tool approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Health. Also, questionnaires and staff interviews were used at Al-Tale'a Primary Health Care Center, each conversation took about 5–10 minutes. Some information came from multiple sources too, so it could be more complete about the study sample. Analysis relied on descriptive statistics, only. 

Result: What we found, is a low utilization rate of the services at the primary health care center. The most major reason seemed to be a shortage of health professionals and support staff, plus nursing personnel were not evenly spread across different service areas. 

Conclusion: Primary health care centers should be increased in number, in line with the size of the population served in a specific area. Also, cooperation between the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Higher Education, and educational institutions is recommended, in order to build a well-coordinated plan that helps reduce staffing shortages and supports a more proper distribution of personnel in these facilities.