ABSTRACT
Background: Delay in seeking medical care is common and constitutes a major unresolved public health problem. It could contribute immensely to maternal mortality, especially in developing countries, where access and availability of functional healthcare facility have remained a challenge. Objective: This study aimed at identifying the forms of delays encountered by pregnant women seeking antenatal care (ANC) services and also factors responsible for such delays. Materials and Methods: This was a crosssectional study among women attending antenatal care clinic of our hospital. Data were obtained through an intervieweradministered questionnaire and were analyzed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 17. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 28.6 (standard deviation [SD] ± 5.44) years. About a third (31.5%) experienced Type II delays due to inaccessibility to the mode of transportation and traffic deadlock; while majority (77.1%) experienced intrahospital delays due to delay in retrieving cases notes, seeing an obstetrician, inadequate health personnel, and consulting rooms. The average waiting time was 3.1 ± 0.91 SD hours (188 min). The waiting time was not statistically associated with time of arrival to the clinic. Conclusion: Most women experience intrahospital delays while seeking ANC. Intervention by policymakers and adequate staffing coupled with provision of necessary healthcare amenities will go a long way in reducing patients waiting time