Accessibility to Obstetric Care and Its Impact on Maternal Health in Southeastern oases, Morocco

Abstract

Limited access to obstetric care for pregnant women in rural areas increases the risk of maternal mortality. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to analyze spatial and temporal access to obstetric care in southeastern Morocco. The obstetric records of 1,304 pregnant women were examined to determine the diagnosis upon arrival and the duration of ambulance transport. According to maps generated by the GIS, 19 obstetric cases were more than 100 kilometers away from the regional hospital, and 16 cases required over two hours for transport to the regional hospital. Univariate binary logistic regression analysis confirmed that delays exceeding two hours between the sending hospital and the receiving regional hospital increased the likelihood of pregnant women arriving with hemorrhage (OR: 2.82 (1.38, 5.79), p = 0.005). The study revealed the consequences of restricted access to obstetric care on the health of pregnant women, highlighting the need for targeted strategies to improve access to obstetric services in this region.