Inequalities in Maternal Healthcare Service Utilization in Bangladesh: Evidence from 2011–2018 Demographic and Health Surveys

According to World Health Organization, low and lower-middle-income countries like Bangladesh face around 94% of all maternal deaths. Maternal healthcare service (MHCS) utilization before, during, and after childbirth is considered the key to saving the lives of mothers and newborns. Although Bangladesh has brought substantial progress in maternal healthcare services utilization in the last decades, there is no evidence of how equal this progress has been. Additionally, studies found poor and rural women have lesser access to maternal health care services in Bangladesh indicating inequalities in health care sector. This study aims to estimate inequalities in maternal healthcare utilization in Bangladesh and explore possible changes in this inequality. Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys 2011, 2014, and 2017-2018, nationally representative secondary source of cross-sectional data will be utilized to complete the study. Rate ratios, concentration indices, and concentration curves will be employed to estimate inequality in maternal healthcare service utilization for different health stratifiers with predefined level of significance 0.05. Findings from the study might help the policymakers to focus on specific health stratifiers to reduce existing inequalities in maternal health care services utilization in Bangladesh. Thus the outcome will be favorable to achieve SDG 3.8 and required policies and interventions can also be developed to reduce inequality in maternal health.

• Research Project