Metrics details. Seven thousand three hundred seventy-four and 16, women of reproductive age were interviewed in the and SLDHS respectively. We employed a binomial logistic regression to evaluate wealth related inequity in the utilization of institutional delivery. Concentration curves and indices were used to measure the inequity in the utilization of antenatal care ANC visits and postnatal care PNC reviews.
Test of significance was performed for the difference in odds and concentration indexes obtained for the and SLDHS. Wealth related inequity in institutional delivery has increased but to the advantage of the rich, highly educated, and urban residents. Results of the inequity statistics demonstrate that PNC reviews were more equally distributed in than ANC visits, and, in , the poorest respondents ranked by wealth index utilized more PNC reviews than their richest counterparts.
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For ANC visits, the change in concentration index was from 0. Peer Review reports. Despite the gains in improving the health status of vulnerable segments of the society over the century, inequity in health and healthcare continue to persist globally [ 1 ] and obeying the inverse care law โ the availability of good quality healthcare seems to be inversely related to the need for it [ 2 ]. Such gap in health status between the rich and the poor is prevalent in many developing countries.
In recognising the need to bridge the equity gap, most governments and international organisations have included key provisions in their primary healthcare delivery policy initiative to address such disparities [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Notwithstanding such commitments, the health status among the poor in sub- Saharan Africa is suboptimal [ 6 ].
Monitoring trends in equity in health and access to essential health interventions is important in order to tailor scarce public resources to those who are most in need, particularly poor and underserved communities. While low income countries in sub-Saharan Africa face many challenges in collecting and analysing relevant information for observing trends in equity, such challenges which should not be an excuse for inaction [ 7 ].
