Abstract:
Postnatal services refer to measures undertaken after birth to ensure good health of the
mother and child. The objective of this study was to assess factors affecting utilization of postnatal
services among mothers attending Banadir Hospital in Hodan district, Somalia. The study
employed Quantitative methods of inquiry using a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. The
study involved 150 mothers who responded to a questionnaire that was used to find out the factors
affecting utilization of postnatal services. Questions were asked on demographic information of
mothers; knowledge of mothers' about postnatal services, mothers' socio-economic status and
factors affecting utilization of the postnatal services. The data were coded and analyzed using
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Key findings of the study were that most women
lacked awareness about postnatal services and those who knew about these services only few
knew about immunization and family planning services. The majority of the mothers did not know
about other services, such as physiotherapy, counseling and physical examination. Lack of money
for transport or service costs, un-friendly attitude of health workers, long waiting time for service
provider and lack of awareness were the causes of non-availing the services from public institutes.
