Respectful maternal and newborn care (RMNC) is an approach that is based on principles of ethics and respect for human rights. It promotes practices that recognize women’s preferences and women’s and newborns’ needs . Although respectful care is a universal human right that is due to every childbearing woman in every health system , access to care is affected by the way that the health system is set up and functioning. Many poor women fail to access maternal health care because the clinic hours are not flexible or suited to their busy urban lives. They are often required to work during the regular hours in which ANC is offered in public facilities.
Formative studies done by the MaNe project revealed that experiencing disrespectful, abusive, or neglectful treatment during childbirth in health facilities in Kampala was one of the barriers to accessing quality maternal and newborn health (MNH) care that the urban poor face. Women reported physical and verbal abuse during antenatal care (ANC) and labor. They also experienced disrespect for example, being denied access to MNH services such as supplies, skilled birth attendants, and admission beds unless informal payments were made to health providers.
