Access to healthcare and impediment(s) of transport: examining lived experience of pregnant women in selected local governments of Oyo state, Nigeria

The study was carried out in three local government areas in Oyo State, Nigeria to examine the link between access to healthcare and transport exclusion with the objective of determining the impediments created by transport exclusion in accessing healthcare by pregnant women. A survey of 357 registered pregnant women from 113 hospitals in three (3) Local Government Areas of Oyo State was conducted. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for the analysis. Results revealed accessibility as a major determinant of choice of means of mobility by 95% of the respondents while 86.3% considered safety and security as determinant. Financial challenge constituted factor of transport choice to 95% of the respondents. Outcomes of transport exclusion manifested in barrier to health care access to 30% of the respondents, fatigue to 22% and punctuality at medical appointment to 9%. Study concluded that some local issues such as safety and insecurity, gross unemployment among women of productive age, collapse of efficient public transport system may have being factors responsible for observed findings in the study locations. Policy makers need to improve access of pregnant women to transport means by addressing transportation barriers that result in delayed or missed healthcare to mitigate adverse health care outcomes among pregnant women and also to prevent additional costs that may result from such outcomes.