Abstract:
This study focused on the evaluation of Healthcare Services for Pregnant Women and
Access to Health Information among Rural and semi-urban Women. This study was a household
Survey conducted with a stratified and random sample of 140 Tanzanian women aged 45 or below
who had previously given birth and/or who were pregnant during the data collection. The sample
stratification involved four rural villages in the Same District of the Kilimanjaro Region (105 total
respondents), and one peri‐urban village in Arumeru District of Arusha Region (35 total respondents). Survey responses were
recorded on paper forms and entered into an electronic system for analysis. Findings revealed that there were challenges facing the
provision of maternal healthcare services in both rural and peri-urban villages. Furthermore, the study revealed that information
about maternal healthcare in rural and peri-urban areas is limited and mainly received from health facility and healthcare workers
as the main trusted health information source. The study concludes that even if a pregnant woman manages to reach a health
facility, may only be provided with the most basic of services and often have to be referred to a hospital even farther away in the
case of complications. Furthermore, the study concludes that women surveyed suffer from the shortage of information sources
regarding maternal and child health. The study recommends that the government should observe healthcare services for pregnant
women with an Eagle eye as they need serious attention by addressing all the identified challenges in order to rescue the current
situation.
