Veracity of universal health coverage of maternal and neonatal health care among slum dwellers in a metropolitan city of India – Factors aiding access to and cost of availing these services to the poorest household

BackgroundMaternal, newborn and child essential health services are used as tracer indicators for monitoring universal coverage among countries. This study aims to measure accessibility, factors aiding access, its associated cost of maternal neonatal (M&NHS) slum dwellers Chennai.MethodologyCross sectional design with cluster sampling using Probability Proportion Sampling. The participants were mothers at least one delivered alive in the preceding year.ResultMost women availed antenatal intranatal (99% had ten visits, institutional delivery, immunization, 88.5% two USG) while Postnatal was low (34%). Women preferred combination public private facility out-patient (80%), postnatal in-patient (66.7%) facilities (90%) services. Influencing factor free claiming cash benefit, it perceived good care physical proximity. Out pocket expenditure highest users facility. Households catastrophic 54.2% (95% CI: 50.03%–58.37%). Use exclusive risk (OR 60.7 73.8) expenditure.ConclusionAlthough every woman M&NHS, proportion households facing high especially those facilities. gap provision financial protection may push into eternal poverty fails effort achieve Universal Health Coverage poorest.