Safe Delivery Incentive Program : A Case of Kailali District in Nepal

Around a half million women die every year due to pregnancy and childbearing related causes and millions of other suffer from lifelong complications. MMR is estimated to be 229 per 100,000 live births in Nepal (MoHP 2009). Lack of professional assistance at delivery is considered as an important factor that contributes to high maternal mortality and morbidity. According to Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2011, an overwhelming majority (64.7 %) of births still take place in home (MoHP et al., 2012). The Government of Nepal initiated Safe Delivery Incentive Programme (SDIP) under maternal health financing policy on July 2005 as a cost sharing scheme to increase access of women to safe delivery services. The SDIP has evolved into the ¿Aama programme¿ which includes cash incentives to women and health worker, and free delivery services. This book aims to explore the implementation practice of SDIP at district and VDC level and to assess the factors associated with SDIP utilization. Andersen¿s framework of health services utilization is used as the theoretical framework for this book.