The practice of
traditional birth
attendants has a lot of impact on the health of the mother and child.
Despite the introduction of modern health facilities, available statistics shows that the majority of children are born by
traditional birth
attendants (TBAs) especially in rural areas. The care given during the prenatal, postnatal period and the environment in which the women find themselves to a very great extent can determine the state of health of women. This study therefore examines the type of services rendered, the facilities used and the influence of their services on the health status of women. The study also tries to understand the impact and effectiveness of the TBAs to the child bearing women and also suggest ways on how to improve their services. It has been revealed that various reasons are responsible for women to patronize TBA. These reasons include: low cost of TBA services, traditional beliefs and the woman being in a position where they have no other alternative. I t has also been revealed that traditional birth attendant services are useful to child bearing women and thus should not be banned. It is recommended that government should support TBAs financially; TBAs should be trained and equipped with basic knowledge in conducting safe deliveries. And also educate them on issues concerning immunizations, family planning, administration of injection etc. Also, TBAs should be trained on how to ensure that pregnant women are offered HIV counseling and testing. By training TBAs (traditional birth attendants) maternal mortality and other obstetric complications could be dramatically reduced with low cost, and utilizing existing resources.