Health equity is a cross-cutting theme in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and a priority in health sector planning in countries including Ethiopia. Subnational health managers in Ethiopia are uniquely positioned to advance health equity, given the coordination, planning, budgetary, and administration tasks that they are ...

Maternal mortality has been an issue of global importance, with continued efforts by the international development community towards its reduction. The provision of high quality maternal healthcare has been identified as a key strategy in preventing maternal mortality. Gendered intrahousehold power structures, gendered dynamics of resource allocati...

Available evidence indicate that while 303,000 women died in 2015 from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 66% of these deaths [ 1 ]. Within sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 29% of the maternal deaths occurred in Nigeria with an estimated 58,000 pregnant women dying annually in the country mainly from ...

In Ethiopia, maternal waiting areas (MWAs) – residential areas near health facilities where women can stay while waiting to give birth – are community-based, equity-oriented interventions to improve maternal outcomes among rural populations. In this qualitative study we sought to explore the barriers and enablers that Health Extension Workers (HEWs...

Health management information system (HMIS) data are important for guiding the attainment of health targets in low- and middle-income countries. However, the quality of HMIS data is often poor. High-quality information is especially important for populations experiencing high burdens of disease and mortality, such as pregnant women, newborns, and c...

Access to trusted health information has contribution to improve maternal and child health outcomes. However, limited research to date has explored the perceptions of communities regarding credible messenger and messaging in rural Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to explore sources of trusted maternal health information and preferences for the...

When started early in pregnancy and continued up till childbirth, antenatal care (ANC) can be effective in reducing adverse pregnancy outcomes. While the proportion of women who attend ANC at least once in low income countries is high, most pregnant women attend their first ANC late. In Tanzania, while over 51% of pregnant women complete ≥4 visits,...

Access to health care is still limited for many women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), while it remains an important determinant of maternal mortality and morbidity. Information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as mhealth and telehealth, can help to facilitate this access by acting on the various obstacles encountered by women, be they socio...

Publication charges for this supplement were funded by the Symposium. The Supplement Editors declare that they have no competing interests. Read more...

Nigerian women are at high risk of death related to pregnancy and child birth. Accurate figures are hard to come by, but the World Health Organisation estimates there are more than 800 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in Nigeria. That's about 100 times higher than rates in Canada or the United Kingdom. Read more...