Ethiopia
1. Community-Based Cause of Death Study Linked to Maternal and Child Health Program and Vital Statistics in Ethiopia
This project is implemented by Addis Ababa University in collaboration with St. Michael’s Hospital in Canada and the Central Statistical Agency in Ethiopia.
In 2019, the World Health Organization reported that millions of births as well as the causes of two-thirds of deaths in mothers and children are unaccounted for globally. Gaps in civil registration and vital statistic systems limit the understanding of contextual factors underlying maternal and child deaths. These gaps create substantial challenges for appropriate health planning and policy response that is better aligned with the needs of various populations. Global and national support for civil registrations and vital statistic systems is emerging to address this gap as well as strengthen health care response - particularly for women, adolescents and children.
This project demonstrates that high quality, low-cost, community-based cause of death data collection is feasible in Ethiopia and can be used to fill the large evidence gap on mortality in the national Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system. Online training and electronic verbal reporting of causes of death (also referred to as verbal autopsy) are utilized to record and code probable causes of maternal and childhood deaths. A systematic review of Ethiopian maternal and childhood causes of death data from 1990 to 2016 was used in this project to assess causes as well as contributing factors. Further, a formative review of systems challenges helped to identify opportunities for capturing cause of death data in Ethiopia.
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2. Statistical alliance for vital events: Strengthening reporting & program uses of facility-based child & maternal mortality
This project is implemented by a partnership between St. Michaels Hospital in Canada, the Ethiopia Public Health Association, the Centro de Investigação em Saudé de Manhiça in Mozambique, and St. John’s Research Institute in India.
The Sustainable Development Agenda set ambitious 2030 targets include ending all preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths. Despite gains in reducing maternal and child deaths, 50 per cent of child deaths still occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, mainly due to poor health care access and weak health systems. Most deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa occur without medical attention, and as a result, the causes of death remain unknown. This lack of information greatly limits evidence-based planning and slows progress in the attainment of health targets, including those related to maternal and child health.
Building on prior work in Ethiopia and India on improving an understanding of community-based cause of death, this project aims to improve facility-based reporting of child, maternal and adult causes of death in Ethiopia and Mozambique. Strengthening the capacity within each country to sustain and expand facility-based cause of death reporting will focus on training professionals to meet global standards in completing death certificates accurately. Further, this project improves the reliability of aligned reporting systems within study hospitals.
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