Tetteh, E.Coleman, N.A.Marfoh, J.K.University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health2015-07-022017-10-142015-07-022017-10-142000-0930692100998267http://197.255.68.203/handle/123456789/6398Having a trained birth attendant at every delivery has been identified as the single most important way of reducing maternal mortality. However most women do not patronize supervised delivery services even where they are available. Among the reasons given for this state of affairs is the high cost of accessing the services. Supervised delivery in this district was estimated at 37% in 1998, which falls below the national figure of 44%. The actual cost to a woman for accessing this service, and the role cost plays in determining the utilization by women is not known in this district. This study which was undertaken in the Kintampo district of the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana from May to August 2000 was to investigate the cost of delivery to women utilizing the various options of delivery: delivery at home, delivery under the supervision of a TBA and having a supervised delivery. These costs were compared and their effect on the choice of services by the women investigated. Women who had delivered in the three months before the study were chosen from three settings representing good, moderate and poor access to Orthodox health care facilities for the survey. It was found out that it cost a woman four to six times more to have a supervised delivery than to deliver with a TBA or at home. The bulk of the cost was found to be for services and drugs. Women identified cost as a very important factor in influencing their decision on where to deliver and ranked it second only to the safety of their life and that of their babies. Most women indicated their preference for hospital delivery if cost were not a problem. It is recommended that to make supervised delivery an attractive option for women in the Kintampo district, service charges for supervised deliveries are reviewed downwards, delivery costs are subsidized and more staff are trained to supervise more deliveries.ix,42pen-USThesisUniversity of Ghana