President urges stakeholders to help reduce maternal death

Addis Ababa, January 11, 2020 (FBC) – President Sahle-Work Zewde urged today all concerned bodies to step up efforts to reduce maternal death in the country.

Speaking at a national consultative meeting held yesterday, the President called upon stakeholders to step up efforts to curb the most serious but preventable causes of maternal death in Ethiopia.

According to her, the most serious but preventable causes of maternal death in Ethiopia are hemorrhage, obstructed labor, and hypertension.

The consultative meeting is part of the ‘Safe Motherhood Month’ launched by the Ministry of Health and ends on February 7, 2020.

Regional representatives attending the meeting have pledged to raise the number of mothers who deliver at health facilities by 15%.

President Sahle-Work further underscored the need to strive for delivering accessible and efficient health services to mothers through skilled human power to reduce the causes and burden of maternal death.

Despite efforts to curb maternal death, the country is burdened with an annual death of 12, 000 mothers, it was learned.

ENA quoted Health State Minister Leya Tadesse as saying that the country has reduced maternal death by 72% in the past 25