IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/joimai/v16y2015i4d10.1007_s12134-014-0372-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Accessibility and Utilisation of Maternal Health Services by Migrant Female Head Porters in Accra

Author

Listed:
  • Gloria-Sheila A. Yiran

    (University of Ghana)

  • Joseph K. Teye

    (University of Ghana
    University of Ghana)

  • Gerald A. B. Yiran

    (University of Ghana)

Abstract

Accessibility to maternal health care by marginalised groups, such as poor migrant women, has remained an issue of concern in Ghana. While a number of studies have been conducted on the livelihoods of migrant female head porters (Kayayei) in cities in Southern Ghana, there is little understanding of their accessibility and utilisation of maternal health services. This paper examines the challenges that the migrant female head porters encounter in the process of seeking maternal health care in Accra. The data were collected through a questionnaire survey on a sample of 70 female head porters and in-depth interviews with key informants and some of the Kayayei. The findings indicate that the factors affecting accessibility to maternal health services by the Kayayei are unavailability of health facilities in the slums where Kayayei live, low-income levels, high cost of maternal health care, long queues and waiting times at modern health facilities, and the perception that traditional medicines are adequate for protecting pregnant women and their babies. It was therefore suggested that government should increase the number of health facilities and strengthen the National Health Insurance Scheme to enhance access to health care by this vulnerable and poor group of people as well as increase health educational campaigns.

Suggested Citation

  • Gloria-Sheila A. Yiran & Joseph K. Teye & Gerald A. B. Yiran, 2015. "Accessibility and Utilisation of Maternal Health Services by Migrant Female Head Porters in Accra," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 929-945, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:16:y:2015:i:4:d:10.1007_s12134-014-0372-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-014-0372-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12134-014-0372-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12134-014-0372-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. K. Navaneetham & A. Dharmalingam, 2000. "Utilization of maternal health care services in South India," Centre for Development Studies, Trivendrum Working Papers 307, Centre for Development Studies, Trivendrum, India.
    2. David E. Sahn & Stephen D. Younger & Garance Genicot, 2003. "The Demand for Health Care Services in Rural Tanzania," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 65(2), pages 241-260, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Raza, W.A. & Panda, P. & Van de Poel, E. & Dror, D.M. & Bedi, A.S., 2013. "Healthcare Seeking Behavior among Self-help Group Households in Rural Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India," ISS Working Papers - General Series 50172, International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS), The Hague.
    2. Lay, Jann, 2010. "MDG Achievements, Determinants, and Resource Needs: What Has Been Learnt?," GIGA Working Papers 137, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    3. Eva Deuchert, 2011. "The Virgin HIV Puzzle: Can Misreporting Account for the High Proportion of HIV Cases in Self-reported Virgins?," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 20(1), pages 60-89, January.
    4. Gilles Postel‐Vinay & David E. Sahn, 2010. "Explaining stunting in nineteenth‐century France," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 63(2), pages 315-334, May.
    5. Honora Smith & Christine Currie & Pornpimol Chaiwuttisak & Andreas Kyprianou, 2018. "Patient choice modelling: how do patients choose their hospitals?," Health Care Management Science, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 259-268, June.
    6. Martine Audibert & Yong He & Jacky Mathonnat, 2013. "Two-Period Comparison of Healthcare Demand with Income Growth and Population Aging in Rural China: Implications for Adjustment of the Healthcare Supply and Development," Working Papers halshs-00846088, HAL.
    7. Maligana Mathe, 2017. "Socio-demographic factors affecting utilization of Antenatal Care Services in Botswana," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 7(9), pages 477-520, September.
    8. Kasirye, Ibrahim & Ssewanyana, Sarah & Nabyonga, Juliet & Lawson, David, 2004. "Demand for health care services in Uganda: Implications for poverty reduction," MPRA Paper 8558, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Trani, Jean-Francois & Bakhshi, Parul & Noor, Ayan A. & Lopez, Dominique & Mashkoor, Ashraf, 2010. "Poverty, vulnerability, and provision of healthcare in Afghanistan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(11), pages 1745-1755, June.
    10. Rene Leyva-Flores & Edson Servan-Mori & Cesar Infante-Xibille & Blanca Estela Pelcastre-Villafuerte & Tonatiuh Gonzalez, 2014. "Primary Health Care Utilization by the Mexican Indigenous Population: The Role of the Seguro Popular in Socially Inequitable Contexts," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(8), pages 1-6, August.
    11. Anja Sautmann & Samuel Brown & Mark Dean, 2016. "Subsidies, Information, and the Timing of Childrenís Health Care in Mali," Working Papers 2016-2, Brown University, Department of Economics.
    12. Christelle Grobler & Ian C. Stuart, 2007. "Health Care Provider Choice," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 75(2), pages 327-350, June.
    13. Supon Limwattananon & Sven Neelsen & Owen O'Donnell & Phusit Prakongsai & Viroj Tangcharoensathien & Eddy van Doorslaer & Vuthiphan Vongmongkol, 2013. "Universal Coverage on a Budget: Impacts on Health Care Utilization and Out-Of-Pocket Expenditures in Thailand," CESifo Working Paper Series 4262, CESifo.
    14. Erlyana, Erlyana & Damrongplasit, Kannika Kampanya & Melnick, Glenn, 2011. "Expanding health insurance to increase health care utilization: Will it have different effects in rural vs. urban areas?," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(2), pages 273-281.
    15. Pokhrel, Subhash, 2007. "Determinants of parental reports of children's illnesses: Empirical evidence from Nepal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(6), pages 1106-1117, September.
    16. Günther Fink & Peter C. Rockers, 2017. "Financial Incentives, Targeting, and Utilization of Child Health Services: Experimental Evidence from Zambia," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(10), pages 1307-1321, October.
    17. Srinivas, Goli, 2014. "Demographic convergence and its linkage with health inequalities in India," MPRA Paper 79823, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 05 Dec 2014.
    18. Sato, Azusa, 2012. "Does socio-economic status explain use of modern and traditional health care services?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(8), pages 1450-1459.
    19. Muchabaiwa L. & Mazambani D. & Chigusiwa L. & Bindu S. & Mudavanhu V., 2012. "Determinants of Maternal Healthcare Utilization in Zimbabwe," International Journal of Business and Economic Sciences Applied Research (IJBESAR), Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), Kavala Campus, Greece, vol. 5(2), pages 145-162, August.
    20. Menno Pradhan & Fadia Saadah & Robert Sparrow, 2007. "Did the Health Card Program Ensure Access to Medical Care for the Poor during Indonesia's Economic Crisis?," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 21(1), pages 125-150.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:16:y:2015:i:4:d:10.1007_s12134-014-0372-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.