Maternal Health among the Kazakh people of Bayan-Ölgii province, Mongolia

Abstract Background: Bayan-Ölgii is a unique province (aimag) located in the extreme western mountain fastnesses of Mongolia that has continued to attract an increasing number of visitors from around the world who come to see its famed eagle hunting festival or to climb Mongolia’s highest peak. Alongside growing tourism, the local population also continues to grow, with Bayan-Ölgii having the highest number of annual deliveries of all the Mongolian aimags. However, despite technical improvements in maternal healthcare and a nationwide decrease in maternal mortality, it is of great concern to local healthcare workers that the maternal mortality rate in Bayan-Ölgii has not been decreasing over recent years. Thus, the following study is a broad analysis of the state of maternal healthcare in Bayan-Ölgii, including its strengths, weaknesses, and future considerations. Methods: The following analysis is a descriptive single-case study involving clinical observations by the authors, interviews and focus groups with patients and medical practitioners, and outcome data from local hospitals and public health databases. Results: Over the past decade, the main maternity department at Bayan-Ölgii has successfully grown into a well-equipped health facility with sound practices such as engaging in prenatal care contracts and admitting women with high-risk pregnancies. While our analysis revealed some areas of need at the practitioner and hospital levels, many potential interventions seem to lie at the community level in order to ensure the health and well-being of women in Bayan-Ölgii before and up to the time that they become pregnant. Conclusions: This study aims to highlight both the strengths and challenges of maternal healthcare in Bayan-Ölgii. By elucidating areas of weakness, we hope that future efforts of implementation research and intervention can be guided by improvements specific to the needs of the community.