The Phenomenon called ‘Access to Maternal Health Care’

Abstract

Access to health care carries a basic definition of seeking and receiving care through different means and processes and governed by a variety of factors. Across years, there have been various models and frameworks explaining the inter linkages between these means, processes and factors to understand access in its complete view. This study attempts at reviewing existing models and frameworks and build a comprehensive view of the phenomenon. The created framework consists of four basic components: predisposing/enabling factors at the individual/household/community level; predisposing factors at the health systems level; perceptions of the individual/family/community about the illness/condition and the benefits/barriers about the treatment; and the action taken to engage with that illness/condition. The study concludes defining access as not just the utilization of services at the physical and financial face value but a complex interplay of health seeking behavior of individuals, various components of public and private health systems, and the consequent action taken by the individuals to improve their health condition.