MDGs in the final year and maternal and child health in Ethiopia: What next?

Abstract

An editorial in the Ethiopian Journal of Health Development in 2010 gave an overview of the status of the maternal health MDG goal (MDG 5) in Ethiopia and provided suggestions on what needs to be done (1). It indicated that a lot of efforts were made to tackle the problem of the unacceptably high maternal mortality, but much more needed to be done by way of improving access and quality of maternal health services, particularly for skilled attendance and emergency obstetric care in order to achieve MDG5. This was based on a review of available literature on the then prevailing maternal health status and maternal health service utilization. Moreover, the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2011 Report did not show decline in maternal mortality compared to the EDHS 2005, and the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) was estimated at 676/10000 live births (2). There was a relatively high decline in under five mortally, except neonatal mortality.