OUTREACH CLINIC SERVICES IN THE RURAL AREAS: AN IMPORTANT MEANS OF IMPROVING MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Outreach Services is a planned and regular visit by health professional that aims at bringing health services to the people who have no regular access to health care especially obstetric, infant and children care. Unfortunately, there have been no regular accesses to healthcare in rural areas of developing countries of the world, especially as regards the vulnerable groups such as women of child-bearing age and their children, as well as others that live in hard-to-reach regions of low-income countries. This paper examined outreach clinic services and the importance in maternal and child health (MCH). Thus, looked into the concept of outreach clinics, nature of MCH services in Nigeria including other developing countries and finally the importance of outreach clinic to
MCH. Outreach clinic services are well planned and organized health care services rendered to the rural and underserved population who have no regular access to health care. It is seen as a key strategy for the provision of MCH care to the hard-to-reach and vulnerable group in the rural areas of the developing countries. Pregnant women in the rural areas are more in number than their urban counterparts and most of these women do not receive adequate antenatal and postnatal care, hence
higher rates of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality are recorded. In Nigeria for example, there are lack of skilled healthcare workers in rural areas which is linked with poor maternal and infant health status. Outreach clinic services help in the provision of obstetric care services to mothers and children in the rural areas as well as vitamin A supplementation, family planning
education, growth monitoring and immunization. It also helps to reduce costs and travelling inconveniences encountered by these women. If well organized and regularly carried out, outreach clinic programmes will be cost effective, provide active surveillance, helps to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates in Nigeria and other developing countries.

• Author details: IHUOMA | ANTHONIA | OBI | ladyihuomaobi@gmail.com | 08035980988
• Keywords: Outreach Clinic Services, Rural Areas, Maternal and Child Health
• Manuscript: OUTREACH CLINIC SERVICES IN THE RURAL AREAS AN IMPORTANT MEANS OF IMPROVING MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES