Programmes
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Family Health Service Family Health Service within the HSDP strategic plan encompasses maternal and child health services. Several national policies aim to contribute significantly to the welfare of mothers and children. Maternal and Child Health Maternal Health Ethiopia has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world – 673/100,000 (2002). It is estimated that every year, about 25,000 mothers die and 400,000 more suffer long-term disabilities due to complications during pregnancy, delivery or postpartum period. The leading causes of death are abortion, sepsis, hemorrhage, and obstructed labor. The majority of these deaths are preventable with affordable interventions. The health of newborns also is poor. With 39 newborn deaths per 1000 live births, Ethiopia is among the five countries that account for half of Africa’s newborn deaths. Factors that contribute to the poor health status of pregnant women and their newborns in Ethiopia include a high fertility rate, widespread poverty, low female literacy, low nutrition status, and poor access to health services. About 85% of women deliver at home, and about one in three use traditional birth attendants while the others use relatives and family members. Midwifery skills in the country are very scarce, with a ratio of one midwife to almost 20,000 women in the reproductive age. In recognition of these issues, the FMoH has made strong commitment to the reduction of maternal and child mortality. FMoH has been utilizing the Health Services Development Program (HSDP) strategies to address these issues. The HSDP has framed its progress in terms of births by skilled attendants, antennal coverage, postnatal coverage, contraceptive use. From 1994 to 2000, there has been tremendous progress in all of these areas (with some variation of success amongst the regions). For example, the National contraceptive acceptance rate in 1994 (EFY) was 14% when compared to the 51% rate in 2000. Similarly, supervised deliveries and postnatal coverage has increased from 10% and 7% in 1994 to 25% and 20% in 2000 respectively. Child Health One of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to ensure a two-thirds reduction in under-fve mortality by 2015 from the base year of 1990. At the base year of 1990, the national Under-five Mortality Rates (U5MR) in Ethiopia were about 200/1000 live births. The goal by 2015 is to reduce child mortality to 67/1000 from the current (2007/8) rate of 123/1000 live births. In Ethiopia, 90% of deaths in under-fives occur due to preventable diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, measles, Malnutrition and HIV/AIDS. The levels of mortality are worsened particularly by poverty, inadequate maternal education, lack of safe water supply and sanitation, and high fertility and inadequate birth spacing.
The Federal Ministry of Health is responding to these needs through major initiatives in the context of Health Sector Development Progarmme, Child Survival Policy and Strategy, National Nutrition Strategy and Reproductive Health Strategy. Together, these complementary strategies address the preventive , promotive and clinical care needs of the highly vulnerable maternal, newborn and child health groups.
One of the indicators used to monitor progress towards reduction of under-five and infant mortality is coverage of immunization to reduce the incidence of vaccine preventable diseases. Achievements
Full immunization coverage increased from 30% in 1994 to 63% in 2000 with an average 5.17% annual increase from 1994-2000.
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