The Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health (CMNH) has completed the first national survey to assess quality of care in healthcare facilities in Niger. The assessment was conducted in partnership with in-country partners from the Department of Mother and Child Health (Direction de la Santé Mère-Enfant, DSME), the National Institute for Statistics (Institut National de la Statistique, INS) and University Research Co. (URC).
Over the course of May and June, in just under six weeks, ten teams visited 110 healthcare facilities in all eight regions of the country. They collected data from healthcare facility registers and records, through interviews and group discussions and via observations made during the visits. Overall, they spoke to over 2,600 people (1,595 pregnant women and mothers, 914 healthcare providers and 110 managers), observed 461 consultations and analysed nearly 950 care records to help to understand various aspects of quality of services offered to women across the country in different types of healthcare facilities.
Fieldworkers were supported by a dedicated team of representatives of all the partners, including in-person visits by DSME and INS during the fieldwork, but also real-time communication via mobile phones.
Dr Barbara Madaj, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation at CMNH:
“With soaring temperatures of around 50 degrees centigrade and the additional hardship of working during Ramadan, the teams have done an amazing job covering over 15,000 kilometres to ensure the Ministry of Public Health receive data on quality of care from across the country to inform decision-making and planning. Having completed the fieldwork just in time for the Eid celebrations, all involved in the work on the ground could enjoy some time off with their loved ones, whilst the team in Liverpool have been processing the information to allow for the analysis to commence imminently.
The next steps for the project will focus on processing and analysing the data. This will be a joint exercise between CMNH and the in-country partners, with findings to be presented to the Ministry of Public Health and other key stakeholders during a dissemination meeting in the autumn.
The research team from CMNH would once again like to thank all fieldworkers and supervisors for their commitment, dedication and hard work. We also thank our partners for their untiring and prompt support, all of which have made working on the project rewarding and enjoyable, as well as allowing us to complete the fieldwork successfully. We have all learned a lot from the experience and look forward to working together again!
Additional thanks to the funders of the study, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, for their generous support.”