Implementation of community-based interventions addressing basic education, poverty alleviation, women empowerment and infrastructural development and an increased focus on the continuum-of-care approach in healthcare service will improve neonatal survival.
The interagration of neonatal care to the IMCI, use of contraceptive, reproductive health education, exclusive breast feeding and other intervention programs can be delivered through a continuum-of-care approach to ensure continuity of healthcare services for infants and their mothers.
The impact of birth spacing, breast feeding and utilization of antenatal, delivery and postnatal services have clearly demonstrated the possible impact of the continuum-of-care approach [ 41] from antenatal to postnatal life on the survival and well-being of newborns.
Maternal health seeking behaviour towards antenatal, delivery and postnatal services plays a vital role in neonatal survival, indicating why decision and policy makers and non-governmental bodies should implement the continuum-of-care approach for maternal and newborn healthcare services spanning from antenatal, to delivery, immediate neonatal and postnatal care.
The organisation has adopted the continuum of care approach as its main health service delivery strategy in its interventions [ 20].
A continuum of care approach is supported by empirical evidence suggesting positive, synergistic effects of strategies emphasizing interconnected care of mothers and neonates [ 133].
Our findings support the need to have linkage among homes, families and community and this is also the aim of the continuum of care approach [ 6].
Within the broad themes, sub-themes have been placed in the continuum of care approach, sequencing from antenatal and intra-partum to postnatal periods.
The continuum of care approach is expected to promote care for mothers and children from pregnancy to delivery, the immediate postnatal period and childhood [ 7].
Similarly, a Joint Mother and Child Protection Card (Joint MCP Card) has been designed and circulated jointly by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to promote the continuum of care approach.
