ADDIS ABABA- Ministry of Health (MoH) said improved links between health centers and hospitals have shrunken maternal death by 72 percent. Excessive bleeding and hypertension are said to take the larger slice of mothers’ death during delivery, Ministry of Health Maternal and Children Director Dr. Meseret Zelalem told The Ethiopian Herald.
Services expecting mothers get at each and every health center and improvement in the information exchange channel among health centers and respective hospitals as well as the use of up to date equipment at all levels have contributed for the declining of mothers’ death, according to her.
“The previous figure was 1,400 deaths per 100,000 births. Now it declines to 419 per 100,000 births.” Mothers get uninterrupted one stop pre-pregnancy, delivery, post pregnancy services, she said.
Health extension workers also offer various services ranging from personal hygiene, family planning, among others, in both rural and urban areas of the country which contributed greatly to the improvement, she added.
The ministry has been working to expand ambulance services targeting maternal services in all areas of the country, she said, adding the number of health professionals is also growing from time to time.
To further trim maternal death, the Ministry has focused on the provision of major services—compassionate maternal care, electronic community healthcare system and accessible and quality services at health.
“We’re training a number of midwives to further expand maternal healthcare services across the length and breadth of the country.” On the other hand, Dr. Shimels Solomon, Menelik II Hospital Medical Director added that no single mother has lost her life during delivery in their Hospital over the last one year. “All health professionals have been working hand-in-glove to ensure safe delivery.”
He did not, however, shy away from mentioning that the deficit of midwives and other health professionals.
Herald March 22/2019
BY MISGANAW ANAKE �
