Maternal Care among Reproductive Women in Slums in Greater Mumbai

Vijay M. Sarode, Mulund College of Commerce

This paper examines utilization of antenatal and delivery care in the Mumbai slums on the basis of standard of living index constructed from household amenities, housing quality, sources of drinking water, electricity and toilet facilities. The study uses primary data, collected using cluster sampling of sample size of 433 reproductive women who have given at least one live birth prior to the survey, on frequency of antenatal check-ups, iron folic supplementation, receiving two doses of tetanus toxoid injection and skill of delivery attendant from the Rafi Nagar slum. The findings using logistic regression reveals unimaginable low level of maternal care among illiterate women in this slum. Besides that there is evidence of concentration of women without adequate maternal care amongst the poorest of economic stratum. The need for maternal care services is suggested for illiterate and SLI category slum women. KEYWORDS: Maternal care; Health seeking behavior; Utilization; Mumbai Slum.