The Ethiopia national self-care network (NSN) was established in September 2023 to support the Federal Ministry of Health and inform the dissemination and implementation of the national self-care guidelines towards improving access and quality of sexual and reproductive health self-care in Ethiopia. The network is led by the Federal Ministry of Health. The Ethiopia Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ESOG) is the convener and works hand-in hand with the Federal Ministry of Health and local partners, while PSI Ethiopia is the Secretariat.
Across SCTG focus countries, our National Self-Care Networks (NSN) lead a consultative process
to define a coordinated advocacy strategy for self-care, which includes, but is not limited to:
The Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ESOG) was established in 1992 in response to the Safe Motherhood Initiative as a collective professional expression of concern to the high maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity, and the poor SRH status in the country. The main aim was to enhance the contribution of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to improve access and quality of the SRH service in Ethiopia. Consequently, during the last 28 years ESOG has undertaken a number of remarkable SRH activities by engaging its members, working hand in hand with the Federal Ministry of Health and networking with other partners working in the area of SRH. The major focus of intervention includes safe motherhood, prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS, prevention of post-partum hemorrhage, care for survivors of sexual assault, improving access to quality CEmONC services, introducing national standards and guidelines.
The National Self-Care Guideline was drafted in partnership with WHO and other Technical Working Group members and presented to the MOH for approval in March 2023. The Guideline, which will act as the foundation of a future pilot and national scale-up is awaiting MOH approval and launch (by end of November 2023), and dissemination. The Guidelines are being piloted in 4 regions (Oromia, Amhara, Addis Ababa and Somali) with the support of the MOH, ESOG and partners.
This was done by WHO in 2022 which showed a favorable policy environment for self-care in Ethiopia, with a need for ongoing advocacy for political and financial commitment to ensure implementation and commodity security.
The self-care advocacy project was launched in 2023 with an advocacy workshop attended by governmental organizations, NGO’s, professional societies, and academic institutions.
This includes (1) Self-managed abortion being included in the final draft of national safe abortion technical and procedural guideline (September 2023); (2) The Combi pack being registered in Ethiopia and available for over-the-counter distribution in line with policy guidelines; and (3) Approval from the MOH for the Training of community health workers (CHWs) on Self-Care. The CHWs will educate members of the community on self-Care.
