Barriers in Utilization of Reproductive and Child Health Services in Slums of Delhi, India: an Observational Study
Anand Verma, Prakash Ranjan, Rabi Bhushan, Vijay Tiwari
Abstract
The utilization of Reproductive and Child health (RCH) services is often influenced by the sociocultural, financial, access, political barriers acting at the community, family and individual level. Aim and objective: To examine the barriers in utilization of RCH services in slums. Material & Methods: The study was carried out in three slums of Delhi with a well representative sample of 421 women, who delivered the child within 6 months. Quantitative and qualitative study design was followed to collect the data. Results: The supply side barriers such as physical access and facilities were faced by the service providers. The demand side barriers such as socio-cultural, financial and access barriers were faced by the service receivers in order to avail the services. Conclusions and Recommendation: In order to overcome the barriers faced by the women of slums, it is important to improve the access to services so that they get them easily. Some of the imperative actions such as strengthening community mobilization through inter-personal communication, dialogue with the key influencers in the community as well as continuous engagement with and sensitization of the service providers.