Source: All Africa
The Ministry of Health said Ethiopia has registered better results in reducing maternal, child mortality in GTP I period.

Ministry Child Health Expert Melese Solomon said that the achievement follows the prime attention given to minimize child and maternal mortality nationwide.

In 1990, Ethiopia's maternal mortality ratio was 950 per 100,000 live births; and this has reached 420 by 2013, showing a 69 per cent decrease with the annual reduction rate of five per cent, according to documents from the ministry.

However, speaking during the opening of stakeholders' consultative meeting on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) in the State of Afar, Melese listed some of the problems which exasperate maternal mortality.

Among the contributing factors he mentioned include failure to regularly consult health centres before and after pregnancy among mothers, lack of knowledge about making regular checkups, problems of transportation and lack of adequate manpower.

According to the expert, activities are underway to bring down child and maternal mortality to 24 per 1,000 live births in the GTP2 period. The figure currently stands at 50 per 1,000 live births.

"The government targeted to construct health competency centres within the selected ten hospitals in Afar, Somali, Benshangul-Gumuz and Gambella states," Melese added

Emerging states enjoy increased government attention in preventing and controlling child and maternal mortality rate, he indicated.

Information gathered from the ministry indicates that under five mortality rate dropped down to 68 per 1,000 in 2012 from 204 per 1,000 live births in 1990.

Ethiopia is also among countries in Sub-Saharan Africa which reduced under-five mortality by 61 per cent.

Save the Children Ethiopia Country Director John Graham confirmed the remarkable change witnessed in Ethiopia in terms of reducing child and maternal mortality rate.

Calling for further action, he said: "The government of Ethiopia, non-governmental organizations, civic societies and stakeholders should exert their effort to scrap child and maternal mortality".

Save the Children has been implementing "Every One" campaign programme in Ethiopia to reduce child and maternal mortality over the past four years.

According to reports, the agency is now targeting the delivery of health equity services after the termination of "Every One" campaign in Ethiopia.

• Ethiopia