Utilization of Maternal Health Care Services Among Women in ELSheikh Zaid City

Background: Maternal health care encompasses the health of women in the childbearing years, including those in the pre-pregnancy period, those who are pregnant, and those who are caring for young children. The objective of the maternal care is prevention of maternal morbidity and mortality which can be achieved through health care for women before pregnancy, during pregnancy, during and after labor and inter pregnancy period.  Aim of work: To measure the utilization of maternal health care services among a sample of Egyptian women in EL-Sheikh Zaid city.  Methodology: Descriptive cross- sectional study was done on 385 women who came to receive service from the EL-Sheikh Zaid primary health care center and were pregnant within one year duration; those women were interviewed by a questionnaire asking about their socio-demographic data like the age, work and education, antenatal, natal and postnatal care services provided to them during the last pregnancy. Results: Most of mothers (81%) had adequate (four or more) antenatal care (ANC) visits. About (34.9%) of mothers had their ANC in the private sector. 92.5% of mothers delivered under supervision of skilled medical team and 45.7% had postpartum medical counseling. Recommendations: Health center should prepare a health education plan involving the messages to be given to mothers at each stage of pregnancy and properly implement this plan. Also, direct attention to the quality of care provided should be done in order to increase utilization.