“Every single day, we lose the equivalent of four planes full of mothers due to complications related to pregnancy, yet we do not give it the attention and funding it deserves.” These powerful words from H.E. Dr. Mekdes Daba, Minister of Health highlighted the urgency of addressing maternal mortality as we certified 67 General Practitioners (GPs) under the National Operative Delivery and System Management Training and Service Initiation Program (OSSYM) on December 22nd 2024. This 17-week intensive program, developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health (MoH) and ACSIS, has equipped these GPs to perform emergency cesarean sections at 54 primary health facilities across 12 regions of Ethiopia.
This initiative goes beyond training; it also tackled resource gaps to ensure facilities were ready to deliver this critical service. To make this possible MoH and ACSIS together contributed resources to support service initiation. As a result, women in remote and underserved areas will now have access to life-saving emergency care. At the ceremony, Dr. Mekdes acknowledged the significant progress made through the OSSYM program but emphasized the need to continue expanding efforts. Equipping more facilities and training additional skilled professionals remain crucial to ensuring no mother is left behind.