598 Maternal health on the move: exploring continuity of care among young migrant mothers in South Africa

Abstract EP3.2, e-Poster Terminal 3, September 3, 2025, 13:05 - 14:00 Background Maternal healthcare remains a pressing concern in Southern Africa, where resource constraints disproportionately affect young migrant mothers, contributing to maternal morbidity and mortality. As a key destination for cross-border and internal migrants, South Africa struggles with equitable access to reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH) service. This has further been exacerbated by the unprecedented withdrawal of the USAID funding, leading to the closure of some of the healthcare facilities in the country. While existing literature has focused largely on the experiences of cross-border migrants, little attention has been given to young internal migrants and the continuity of maternal care they receive. Aim The study aims to explore and understand the maternal lived experiences?and coping strategies of internal and cross-border migrants in accessing continuity of care in Vhembe District. Framed around WHO’s Social Determinants of Health Framework and Intersectionality Theory, the research also interrogates how gender, migrant status, race, and health systems intersect to shape maternal health outcomes for mobile mothers. Methodology Data was collected through oral histories with 30 young migrant mothers and semi-structured interviews with 15 stakeholders, including healthcare workers and support networks, in the Vhembe District. Findings Piloting and preliminary data indicate that systemic issues such as limited resources, reliance on paper-based records, and inadequate infrastructure disrupt continuity of care and lead to poor maternal health-seeking behaviours, including defaulting visits and home births. Moreover, indicative findings from literature also argue that systemic and structural barriers like xenophobic attitudes and misalignment between immigration laws and health legislation, hinder healthcare access and uptake among (cross-border) migrant communities. Conclusion Building on this, the anticipated outcomes of this study include enhanced understanding of maternal healthcare delivery among mobile populations, strategies to reduce maternal health disparities, and potential interventions to support healthcare workers in catering to mobile migrant women.