Fig. 1

Maternal death cases. a Care-seeking steps and b care-seeking timing and locations. ‡Village doctor is an informal “doctor” who provides allopathic medicine with little or no training and conducts home visits or runs a pharmacy where care is also provided. **Birthing center is attached to a government primary care facility (health post or primary health care center), staffed by nurse and/or auxiliary nurse midwives that provides free ANC and 24/7 labor/delivery and immediate postpartum care ^†MD-5 was at a private hospital during onset of symptoms; MD-6, a TBA was present at home to help with the home birth, and a local doctor had been called to give injection to induce labor but had left before the delivery of baby and symptoms recognized