Home deliveries persist in Doti despite access to health facilities

Despite government initiatives to encourage facility births, home deliveries persist in Nepal's Doti district. In the last fiscal year, 43 women delivered their babies at home, with Purbi Chowki Rural Municipality reporting the highest number at nine. Adarsha and Badikedar rural municipalities followed with eight home births each.

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Despite government efforts to ensure that women give birth in health facilities, home deliveries remain common in Doti, with 43 women delivering their babies at home in 11 months of the last fiscal year.

Dilliram Joshi, chief of the Doti Health Office, noted that home births occurred even in Dipayal Silgadhi Municipality, the district headquarters. This area is equipped with a district hospital, three private hospitals, and seven birthing centers. Joshi emphasized that home births pose risks to both mothers and newborns, underscoring the government's efforts to promote institutional deliveries.

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The government had put in place arrangements to encourage women to deliver at health facilities because home births can put both mothers and newborns at risk.

The data also reveals significant gaps in essential maternal care. Only 42 percent of pregnant women completed the recommended eight antenatal check-ups, and a mere 44 percent received all four recommended postnatal check-ups. These statistics underscore the challenges in ensuring consistent and adequate maternal healthcare services reach women in the district, even where facilities are accessible.

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Only 42 percent of pregnant women had completed all eight antenatal check-ups required under the latest guidelines.