It is widely understood that maternal health care relies on the entire health system. However,
little empirical, country-specific, research has been done to trace out the ways in which
health system elements can shape maternal health outcomes. This study seeks to redress
this situation, by providing an example of how a health systems approach can benefit the
understanding of maternal health services. A comparative analysis was conducted based on
extensive case studies of maternal health and health systems in Bangladesh, Russia, South …