RESUMO
Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) care is an essential component of the primary health care services. The overwhelming reason for the low utilization of government health care is lack of proper facilities, which in turn limits the utilization of the resources available such as the staff. Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the health seeking behavior of rural women for obstetric care in the rural area and the reasons for seeking care and treatment for delivery at urban teaching hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among the rural women admitted in the postnatal ward of Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College & General Hospital, Mumbai during the period of September 2007 to November 2007. A total of 73 rural women were included. A pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used for the study. Data was analyzed by using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) 15.0. Results: Out of 73 rural women from the study, 58 (79.5%) women were registered during antenatal period. 49 (67.1%) women were referred directly from the primary health centre to the tertiary health centre, followed by 48 (65.7%) women believed strongly in the health care provided in the tertiary centre. Conclusion: The study concludes that a large number of cases worth treating at the primary care level are also included in reported cases, increasing avoidable patient load at the tertiary care level.