Perceptions and attitudes of midwives on respectful maternity care during childbirth: a qualitative study in three district hospitals of Kigali City of Rwanda.

Introduction: Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) is "a universal human right for every childbearing woman". In Rwanda, few studies conducted on RMC assessed how women perceive care provided during childbirth, yet little is known about providers' perspectives. We investigated the perceptions and attitudes of midwives towards the provision of RMC to complement women's viewpoints.

Health workforce supply, needs and financial feasibility in Lesotho: a labour market analysis.

Background: The Government of Lesotho has prioritised health investment that aims to improve the health and socioeconomic development of the country, including the scaling up of the health workforce (HWF) training and improving their working conditions. Following a health labour market analysis, the paper highlights the available stock of health workers in Lesotho's health labour market, 10-year projected supply versus needs and the financial implications.

Methods: Multiple complementary approaches were used to collect data and analyse the HWF situation and labour market dynamics.

Impact of maternal ART on mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV at six weeks postpartum in Rwanda.

Background: In 2010, Rwanda adopted ART for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV from pregnant women living with HIV during pregnancy and breasfeeding period. This study examines rates of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV at 6-10 weeks postpartum and risk factors for mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) among HIV infected women on ART during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted between July 2011-June 2012 among HIV-exposed infants aged 6-10 weeks and their mothers/caregivers.

Going beyond incentivizing formal health providers: Evidence from the Rwanda Community Performance-Based Financing program.

Pay-for-performance programs are introduced in an increasing number of low- and middle-income countries with the goal of reducing maternal and child mortality and morbidity through increased health service utilization and quality. Although most programs incentivize formal health providers, some constraints to utilization might be better alleviated by incentivizing other actors in the health care system. This paper presents results from a randomized controlled trial set to evaluate the effects of two incentive schemes that were introduced on top of Rwanda's national Performance-Based Financing program at the health facility level.