The Ethiopian Public Health Institute has said it is ready to launch assessment on Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) at national level.
At an event organized for members of the media, Institute’s Director-General, Dr. Amha Kebede said the overall purpose of the emergency obstetric and new born care assessment is to generate evidence based health research on the availability, utilization and quality of EmONC services in Ethiopia.
The assessment helps strengthen the national EmONC program and identify key determinants of EmONC services, according to the director general.
He explained that the assessment program is designed to facilitate the plan of action for the improvement of EmONC service in the Ethiopian health service facilities.
The assessment will cover all public and private health facilities throughout the country that have been providing delivery services over the past 12 months, he indicated.
According to the director, about 4,242 health facilities throughout the country are expected to be assessed within six months starting in May 2016 and more than 200 health professionals will be deployed for the purpose.
The World Health Organization data shows that Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in Ethiopia has declined from about 1,400 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 370 per 100, 000 live births to date.
Maternal mortality rate is now down to 69 percent with annual average reduction rate of five percent.
It was indicated that the proportion of maternal death among women of reproductive age also reduced from 40 percent in 1990 to 16.1 percent in the stated period.
Ministry of Health has been mobilizing about 50 million birr for field works and other logistics from different development partners.
The latest initiative of nationwide assessment is geared towards providing effective and quality EmONC service in all health institutions and to help increase knowledge of health professionals in the sector._
The assessment is part of the Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP) envisioned to accelerate the implementation of the Second Growth and Transformation Plan II (GTP-2).
Over the past two decades, Ethiopia has made significant progress towards improving women and children’s health pertaining to EmONC, it was learnt.
Source: Ethiopian Herald
