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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Glob. Women’s Health

Sec. Maternal Health

Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fgwh.2025.1623067

Breaking the Silence: Barriers to Maternal Healthcare Utilisation among Women in South-South Nigeria

Provisionally accepted
  • Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: Despite awareness of the benefits of facility-based deliveries, many women in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) still deliver outside healthcare settings, often without skilled birth attendants. Access to maternal healthcare encompasses affordability, physical accessibility, and acceptability. Objective: This study aimed to explore the factors influencing maternal healthcare utilisation in South-South Nigeria, with a focus on identifying the "silences" surrounding women's access to care, and understanding the facilitators, barriers, and suggested improvements. Methods: An exploratory qualitative design was adopted to investigate women's perceptions of the hidden factors influencing maternal healthcare utilisation. Data were collected from women of reproductive age (20-49 years) in one of the tertiary health hospitals in Nigeria. Eight semi-structured interviews were performed and transcribed. Data were analysed thematically using the Silences Framework. Results: Three themes emerged: facilitators, barriers, and suggestions. Facilitators included women's recognition of skilled providers and the safety offered by emergency care. Despite dissatisfaction, many continued facility use due to trust in medical expertise. Barriers included negative staff attitudes, breaches of confidentiality, domestic violence, financial constraints, and systemic inefficiencies. Stigma further silenced discussion of sensitive issues, reinforcing under-utilisation. Some women turned to traditional birth attendants or private clinics, valuing compassion despite costs or risks. Suggestions centred on staff training in compassionate care, improved monitoring, better equipment, and stronger policies to uphold dignity and privacy. Conclusion: The study emphasises the importance of addressing both systemic issues and interpersonal dynamics to improve maternal healthcare services. Women balance the perceived necessity of skilled care with negative experiences in formal facilities. While competence drives use, poor attitudes and systemic gaps reduce trust. Tackling both structural and interpersonal barriers is critical. Respectful, culturally sensitive care and stronger accountability are essential. These findings offer practical guidance for reforming maternal healthcare in Nigeria.

Keywords: maternal healthcare, barriers, women's experiences, South-SouthNigeria, qualitative research

Received: 05 May 2025; Accepted: 01 Sep 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Ekpenyong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Mandu Stephen Ekpenyong, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.