Every woman has the right to be treated with dignity, compassion and respect when giving birth. Yet for many South African women childbirth in public health facilities can be marked by poor communication, neglect, lack of privacy and, in some cases, verbal or physical mistreatment from health workers.
In a few cases, exposure to severe, disrespectful and abusive behaviour can lead to long-term psychological distress, affecting women and their families.
Efforts to improve respectful maternity care in South Africa have focused mainly on training individual healthcare workers through short courses. Training is important. But it often overlooks a crucial factor: the organisational culture in which health professionals work.
Health workers don’t operate in isolation. Their behaviour is influenced by heavy workloads, staff shortages, workplace hierarchies, team relationships and leadership practices. Providing more respectful care means addressing these underlying organisational factors.
We have spent more than two decades designing and implementing health systems research to improve care for women, newborns and children. Our recent study, conducted in nine rural district hospitals in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, explored whether improving teamwork, learning and workplace culture could improve women’s experiences of maternity care.
