Statistical Profile of Maternal Health Service Utilisation in Bauchi State Health Facilities

Maternal health service utilisation patterns in Bauchi State, North East Nigeria, reflect the combined influence of demographic, geographic, and health system factors whose statistical characterisation is essential for targeted maternal health investment in this high-mortality region. This study develops a statistical profile of maternal health service utilisation in Bauchi State health facilities. Secondary data from the Bauchi State Health Management Information System (HMIS) for 2020 to 2022 covering antenatal care attendance, skilled birth attendance, postnatal care uptake, and family planning acceptance were extracted for 20 district hospitals and health centres. Utilisation rates with 95 percent confidence intervals were computed for each service. Pearson correlations examined inter-service relationships. Trends over the three-year period were tested by Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for non-parametric paired comparisons. Antenatal care coverage was 58.3 percent (95% CI: 54.1 to 62.5 percent). Skilled birth attendance was 41.7 percent. Postnatal care within 48 hours was only 22.6 percent. Family planning acceptance was 14.3 percent. Significant positive correlations were found between antenatal attendance and skilled birth attendance (r = 0.73, p < 0.001). Urban facilities showed 2.4-fold higher skilled birth attendance than rural facilities. Skilled birth attendance improved significantly between 2020 and 2022 in HMIS reporting (p = 0.028). The study recommends integration of postnatal and family planning services into all antenatal contacts and targeted community health worker deployment in rural Bauchi facilities. Keywords: maternal health utilisation, Bauchi State, HMIS data, confidence intervals, service coverage