Tachawt Nigus has been among the pregnant women who were receiving medical checkups at Moxen Health Station in Shebel Berenta woreda, Amhara State. The health station encouraged her to know more about the value of giving birth at the health station in averting extreme bleeding and related complication. She was born 20 years ago as the first child for her family.
“My parents experienced the pain of giving birth in a traditional way; therefore, they, soon knowing that I was pregnant, sent me to the station so that I would get services. In my three months pregnancy, I have been receiving medical checkups and useful vaccinations for the health of the mother and her child.” The continuous follow-up and advice by the midwives and her family enabled Tachawt to plan to give birth in the health station. Since they have understood the pain of giving birth in a traditional manner, the society members, these days, are developing a culture of bringing women to health institutions, said Haymanot Belay a midwife at Moxen Health station. The health station works in mobilizing the public to send women to get medical follow-up at health institutions.
The midwives also work with health officers to mobilize the public to bring pregnant mothers to health institutions. During birth, the mothers will go to the health station and stay in the institution’s reception room. The main effort is to avert health dysfunction that faces every mother who gives birth at home traditionally. The woreda administration has been working to create model kebele through enabling the community to ensure sanitation, health insurance, healthy education institution and free of traditional birth giving.
Accordingly, the woreda has achieved 90 percent of the above standards on average, noted Kefale Alamirew the previous health office head and the current administer of Shebel Berenta. Similarly, mothers and children health services and reform implementation achievements helped the woreda to have successful health, he stated. On the other hand, 92 percent of the population in the woreda are benefiting from health insurance which they directly contribute for.
These achievements are the reflections that enable the woreda to be listed among the eight transformed woredas of the country. And coordinated effort, strong commitment of the health professionals is the main tool behind the success, Kefale said.
The assessment conducted by the woreda health office indicated that customer satisfaction has reached 87 percent at the end of last budget year from 25 percent when the woreda transformation plan waskicked off , about two years ago. According to Federal Health Minister Office Director General Dr. Ashenafi Beza, country’s Health Sector Transformation Plan contains four basic goals including equity and quality service, woreda transformation, compassionate and respectful care and information revolution. The ministry is endeavoring to ensure woreda transformation which simultaneously helps the application of the rest three plans.
Woreda transformation on the other hand comprises various strategic plans aimed at reaching universal health coverage. Shortly, it is all about ensuring the public ownership in improving health working together with the health professionals and other stakeholders, he capitalized. Therefore, the ministry has been coordinating efforts to realize this plan across the country in the second Growth and Transformation Plan. “The plan was cemented by structuring a taskforce incorporated from various sectors including agriculture, education and judicial bodies.
Youth and women were the main part of the plan in creating model kebeles, community based health insurance service, and consolidating woreda health leadership and improving education in the area to capacitate health extension professionals. The plan is also about assigning additional health extension professionals in all health posts across the country.” It was six months ago that the ministry identified successful woredas out of the 1000 woredas across the country.
Accordingly, the ministry found out eight woredas that possibly achieved the Woreda Transformation Plan. Consequently, five and three of these successful woredas are found in Amhara and the SNNPs states respectively, he said. The ministry is also assisting this effort. It is also coordinating health post construction. Various awareness raising programs are also part of the plan to enable the community to lead health care activities by itself. In Shebel Berenta woreda, he said, there have been fruitful leadership achievements in coordinating various sectors including the agriculture, education and justice. “This is encouraging to create about a healthy society.
The infrastructural facilitation and the service provision in a permanent system are other critical achievements in this regard.” However, shortage of medical equipments, infrastructure (especially road and electricity), under standard health posts and professionals turn over are the major challenges that hinder the woreda from achieving more.
“To this end, the woreda administration will do its level best, but we need also the support of the federal government,” according to Kefale. The main draw backs in the woreda are shortage of infrastructure and health care apparatus.
The ministry would assist the effort to fill the gap, said Dr. Ashenafi adding, this year the ministry has planned to build 200 standard health posts across the country in a 50 percent share with the states. It is also conducting a design and standard of the health posts [in a way they can be a suitable health service providing places including birth giving.] This year, the ministry has also planned to bring 155 model woredas.
“We want other woredas to share experiences from the eight woredas to achieve similar success. And the ministry is also endeavoring to capacitate the health professionals by drafting education program.” These days, Shebel Berenta woreda has a hospital, six health stations and 20 health posts and assigned 294 health professionals to its 132,429 population. However, it is not adequate to meet the growing demand of the population. Thus, the woreda administration, the state and the federal government should play their due role in order to boost the amount and quality of service provision.
Herald January 15/2019
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
