Access to care for women reporting postnatal complications in the occupied Palestinian territory: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Postnatal care is an important component of maternal health, especially for the treatment of complications after delivery. However, only a third of women receive postnatal care in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). The aim in this study was to assess the factors that contributed to women not receiving postnatal care despite the manifestation of symptoms Poverty is an important barrier to postnatal care for women and contributes to the inequity in the provision of services to these women. Better accessibility of postnatal care for women in the Gaza Strip might be due to the presence of several international humanitarian agencies that provide services to people living in this region, and the small size of the Gaza Strip increasing accessibility to clinics for women. More eff orts are needed to address women’s health needs in the postnatal period