EXPLORING THE DETERMINANTS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT CAPACITY ON THE PROVISION OF MATERNAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN DAMBATTA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KANO STATE

Maternal health care is one of the most crucial aspects of public health, reflecting the overall health and well-being of women and children in any society. Local governments are primarily responsible for the delivery of primary health care, which includes maternal and child health (MHC) services. However, despite these important tasks, many local governments in Nigeria often faces significant capacity constraints that impede their ability to deliver effective health care services to the people at the grass root level. This study is aimed to examine the determinants of local government capacity on the provision of maternal healthcare services specifically in Dambatta local government area of Kano state. Data were obtained from purely secondary sources from the publications of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Kano state Strategic Health Development Plan (KSHDP), World Health Organization (WHO) local government annual budget, as well as journals, and other relevant sources. The study revealed that there is relationship between local government capacity and provision of maternal health care in Dambatta local government. Specifically, the study discovered that paucity of funds allocation, health infrastructural deficits as well as inadequate trained human resources affect local government capacity in the delivery of quality maternal health services Dambatta local government. The study recommended that in order to increase local government capacity, there should be adequate fund allocation for primary healthcare centers to cater for every community needs, it is suggested that Dambatta local government should explore more of her internal sources of revenue (IGR) to augment the statutory allocations. There should also be provision of essential facilities and equipment including access to quality service delivery in primary healthcare centers within the local government and there is need to recruit and train more health personnel.