| 1 | Less than 20% |
| 2 | 20 to 49% |
| 3 | 50% to 74% |
| 4 | 75% to 94% |
| 5 | 95% or more |
| 1 | Less than 15% |
| 2 | 15%-29.9% |
| 3 | 30%-39.9% |
| 4 | 40%-49.9% |
| 5 | 50% and over |
| 6 | No data |
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Percent of Births Attended by Skilled Personnel
What does it mean ?
This indicator shows the percentage of births that take place in the presence of a skilled healthcare worker who is qualified to attend to births. The definition of a skilled birth attendant is an accredited health professional – such as a midwife, nurse or doctor – who has the necessary skills needed to manage normal pregnancy, childbirth and the period after the birth, and who is able to identify, manage and refer women and newborns if complications occur.
Why does it matter ?
All women should have skilled care during pregnancy and childbirth because the provision of skilled care at every birth significantly reduces the risk of maternal and newborn mortality. This indicator can also give us information on the use of maternity services in a country, and can measure a health system's ability to provide good care during childbirth. Skilled attendance is a crucial factor in reducing maternal and newborn death.
How is it collected ?
A national survey was undertaken in each country from a representative sample of households where women and girls were asked how many babies they have given birth to and when their births occurred. Additional questions were asked about the circumstances at each birth and whether a doctor, midwife, nurse or other skilled person was present. The indicator concerns births that occurred in the three years before the survey.
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory data repository, accessed in August 2016 http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.REPWOMEN39?lang=en
Out of Pocket Health Expenditure
What does it mean ?
This indicator is calculated by adding together all direct payments from every household to health care providers or pharmacists, as a proportion of the total health-related spending in a country. Out of pocket health expenditure is only part of private health spending, because it does not include private health insurance. Together, government, external and private health spending make up the total health care spending in a country.
Why does it matter ?
Out of pocket health expenditure is a core indicator measuring the equity of health systems and the extent to which access to health care depends on one's ability to pay. Certain households may not be able to fund health care expenses out of pocket, resulting in untreated health problems and lack of care. For others, unplanned health spending will impoverish their whole household as they may be forced borrow money, to sell their assets or pull their children out of school to afford the costs.
How is it collected ?
The preferred source of data for this indicator is a National Health Account, which is an internationally agreed method for collecting information about all financial flows related to health in a country. Where a recent National Health Account is not available, the WHO's health financing team collects similar information using technical contacts in-country and publicly available documents.
WHO World Health Statistics 2014. Estimates for 2012 http://apps.who.int/nha/database
