Key Success Factors in Maternity Waiting Home Implementation: A Qualitative Study in Rural Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract Background Maternal mortality remains a major challenge to health systems worldwide. One of its main causes is the limited number of health workers and facilities for pregnant women in rural areas. To reduce maternal mortality rates, Indonesia has instated policies to support the implementation of Maternity Waiting Homes (MWHs). Bulukumba District is located in an MWHs implementation area and is representative of the mainland and ocean countryside. Thus, the Bulukumba District was used in this study to investigate the key success factors in MWHs implementation. Methods This is a qualitative study with an exploratory approach. This research was conducted in Bulukumba, South Sulawesi, a rural area in Indonesia, in 2020. Data was collected through focus group discussions (FGD) involving public and civil parties (n = 10), government members (n = 14), professional organizations (n = 8), and local community members (n = 12). The NVivo Release 1.0 software was used in this study’s analysis to code and categorize the transcripts. Results Three themes were identified: stakeholders’ experience in managing MWHs in rural areas, efforts to increase the implementation of MWHs by stakeholders, and stakeholder expectations regarding the implementation of MWHs. Conclusions The key success factors in MWH implementation are leadership and collaboration with each stakeholder. Additionally, the stakeholders’ experiences, efforts, and expectations of MWH implementation can decrease the maternal mortality rate in rural areas.