Respectful maternity care starts with improving hospital culture: lessons from rural South Africa

By Tanya Doherty, Professor and Chief specialist scientist, South African Medical Research Council
Christiane Horwood, Senior researcher, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Every woman has the right to be treated with dignity, compassion and respect when giving birth. Yet for many South African women childbirth in public health facilities can be marked by poor communication, neglect, lack of privacy and, in some cases, verbal or physical mistreatment from health workers.

In a few cases, exposure to severe, disrespectful and abusive behaviour can lead to long-term psychological distress, affecting…

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