Provider and client perspectives on maternity care in Namibia: results from two cross-sectional studies.

Namibia's public sector hospital maternity units confront health workers and clients with structural and cultural impediments to quality care. Negative interactions between health workers and laboring women were reported as common, despite high health worker commitment to babies' welfare. Key recommendations include multicomponent interventions that address heavy workloads and other structural factors, educate communities and the media about maternity care and health workers' roles, incorporate client-centered care into preservice education, and ensure ongoing health worker mentoring and supervision.