Proportion of foetal and placental implantation abnormalities in Madagascar: A cross-sectional study of 35,919 women at public-sector primary healthcare facilities in central and southern Madagascar, 2017-2020.

Background: Like other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar has a high burden of maternal and neonatal mortality. However, as the proportion of foetal and placental abnormalities among the Malagasy population is unknown, strategies aimed at reducing maternal and neonatal mortality are challenging to define and implement.

Methods: We conducted a multi-year, cross-sectional study using secondary NGO data on obstetric ultrasound, including patient records of all pregnant women who received an obstetric ultrasound screening between July 1st, 2017, and September 30th, 2020, at 62 public-sector primary care facilities in urban and rural regions of Madagascar.

Direct patient costs for drugs and consumables at fifteen health facilities in Southern Madagascar, a secondary analysis of patient invoices.

Background: Financial risk protection in health is a key objective of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, financial risk protection mechanisms are limited, especially in low-income countries, such as Madagascar. To design effective financial risk protection mechanisms, solid and reliable data on the costs patients incur when seeking care are essential.

Inter-facility transfers for emergency obstetrical and neonatal care in rural Madagascar: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Context: There is a substantial lack of inter-facility referral systems for emergency obstetrical and neonatal care in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Data on the costs and cost-effectiveness of such systems that reduce preventable maternal and neonatal deaths are scarce.

Setting: We aimed to determine the cost-effectiveness of a non-governmental organisation (NGO)-run inter-facility referral system for emergency obstetrical and neonatal care in rural Southern Madagascar by analysing the characteristics of cases referred through the intervention as well as its costs.

What are the pathways between poverty and malaria in sub-Saharan Africa? A systematic review of mediation studies.

Background: Malaria remains a major burden in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). While an association between poverty and malaria has been demonstrated, a clearer understanding of explicit mechanisms through which socioeconomic position (SEP) influences malaria risk is needed to guide the design of more comprehensive interventions for malaria risk mitigation. This systematic review provides an overview of the current evidence on the mediators of socioeconomic disparities in malaria in SSA.

Direct patient costs of maternal care and birth-related complications at faith-based hospitals in Madagascar: a secondary analysis of programme data using patient invoices.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the rate of catastrophic health expenditure incurred by women using maternal healthcare services at faith-based hospitals in Madagascar.

Design: This was a secondary analysis of programmatic data obtained from a non-governmental organisation.

Setting: Two faith-based, secondary-level hospitals located in rural communities in southern Madagascar.