Inequalities in utilization of maternal and child health services in Ethiopia: the role of primary health care

Abstract

This article, published in BMC Health Services Research, aims to measure changes in inequality in access to maternal and child health (MCH) interventions and the effect of primary health care (PHC) facilities expansion on the inequality in access to care in Ethiopia. The authors utilize Demographic and Health Survey datasets from Ethiopia (2005 and 2011) to calculate changes in utilization of MCH interventions and child morbidity and estimate concentration and horizontal inequity indices. The findings suggest that expansion of PHC facilities in Ethiopia might have an important role in narrowing the urban-rural and rich-poor gaps observed in health service utilization for selected MCH interventions.