Perinatal outcome in pregnancies booked for antenatal care but delivered outside health facilities in Calabar, Nigeria

Pregnancies that were booked for antenatal care but delivered outside the health facilities were studied. The aim was to determine the perinatal outcome of these pregnancies, and also to compare the outcome with that of pregnancies that were booked and delivered in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH). Birth asphyxia was the commonest perinatal morbidity in both the study (14.3%) and control (4.8%) groups and was significantly higher in the study group than in the control (P<0.01–P<0.05). Incidence of neonatal infection/tetanus and birth trauma was also significantly higher in the study than in the control groups (P<0.01–P<0.05). The incidence of prematurity, neonatal jaundice and congenital abnormality did not show any significant difference in the two groups (P>0.05). The risk of perinatal death was three times higher in the study group than in the control. Proper public enlightenment campaigns and the establishment of a national health insurance scheme which may strengthen the use of orthodox health facilities for delivery, may improve the poor perinatal outcome in our community