Assessing the costs of antenatal care in Eastern Ethiopia: implications for improving the free maternity services policy

Most sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries are implementing free maternity services starting from the first antenatal care (ANC) visit to postnatal care. However, out of pocket (OOP) health expenditures significantly affect the utilization of maternal services in SSA. Limited evidence exists on the costs incurred for ANC health service utilization in this region. This study aimed to assess the costs of ANC service utilization among adolescent and adult women in Eastern Ethiopia. Data were collected from pregnant women participating in the Kersa Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (KHDSS). The study prospectively followed 394 pregnant women across two rounds, collecting both direct medical and indirect costs of ANC service utilization. Direct medical and non-medical costs were summed up to give OOP health expenditures. Catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) and intensity were assessed using the budget share approach at different thresholds. All costs were converted to 2023/2024 USD and compared between adolescent and adult women. A total of 390 women were included in the final analysis. The total amount of OOP payment due to ANC service utilization was 35.7 USD among adolescents compared to 28.5 USD in adults. Adolescents spent 32.6 USD on direct medical costs compared to 24.9 USD for adult women, and 19.3 USD on direct non-medical costs compared to 19.8 USD in adult women. There was a significant difference in the proportion of women who incurred OOP payments, 85.7% of adolescents versus 66.7% of adults (P-value < .001). CHE incidence among adolescents was 46.8% and 15.6% compared to 28.7% and 9.3% among adult women at 5% and 15% threshold, respectively. Overall, adolescent women faced higher financial hardship than adult women. This highlights the need to expand financial protection beyond direct medical costs and to develop targeted financial protection mechanisms specifically for adolescents in resource-limited settings. Furthermore, strengthening the implementation and ensuring the sustainability of the Free Maternal Services policy could help reduce disparities in service utilization between adolescent and adult women.