Respectful Maternity Care: A Cornerstone for Improving Maternal Health

Abstract

Respectful maternity care (RMC) is a universal human right that is due to every childbearing woman in every health system around the world. A woman’s relationship with maternity care providers and the maternity care system during pregnancy and childbirth is vitally important. RMC is an integral part of quality of care (QoC), which is increasingly recognized internationally as a critical aspect of the maternal and newborn health agenda. It is recognized that high coverage alone is not enough to reduce maternal mortality. Increased coverage should be accompanied by improved quality throughout the continuum of care. At the best of times, frontline health workers in resource-constrained settings are confronted with system deficiencies that create conditions which can contribute to the mistreatment of women and the violation of their human rights. In times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline health workers and decision-makers may believe that the rights of childbearing women and their newborns are secondary to concerns of security, safety, or emergency resource management. But human rights are universal and inalienable and protecting them contributes to positive health outcomes. This chapter covers the role of socioeconomic inequalities underpinning women’s experiences of obstetric care. Through this lens, the authors look at how women perceive, internalize, and justify the poor care they receive which reflects entrenched gender discrimination and oppression within homes, communities, and wider societies.