Effect of health systems strengthening in influencing maternal and neonatal health outcomes in Bungoma County, Kenya

INTRODUCTION: maternal and neonatal health status indicators have steadily improved over time in Kenya. Significant challenges remain, including persistent inequities between population subgroups, and a health system that delivers variable quality care and inconsistent access to care. This paper highlights results of an ex-post evaluation to assess the impact of maternal and health systems strengthening intervention to improve newborn health outcomes in Bungoma County, Kenya, focusing on access to and quality of maternal and neonatal care. METHODS: the study design was quasi-experimental, using household surveys to assess outcomes at baseline and end-line. Stratified cluster sampling was used to identify households, based on heath facility catchment areas. Inclusion criteria were women aged 18-49. Chi-square and fisher´s exact tests were used. Patched-up design was used to compare outcomes before and after the intervention and intervention and control sub-counties. RESULTS: provision of transport vouchers decreased barriers to accessto health care, resulting in an increased number of deliveries in health facilities. Women in the end-line group were 95% more likely to deliver at a health facility compared to 74% at baseline. The intervention improved potential and effective access to antenatal care as well as deliveries in health facilities. This positively impacted quality of care provision in the sub-counties. CONCLUSION: key elements of health system strengthening included reducing cost barriers and enhancing the capacity of the health facilities to deliver high quality care. The intervention addressed commonly identified supply-and demand-side barriers, providing stronger evidence that addressing these hindrances would improve utilization of maternal and child health services.