Addis Ababa, 30 March 2015 (WIC) - Meles Foundation, an organization established in memorial of the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, awarded 11 woredas, lower level administrative organs, for better achievements in maternal and child health.
The woredas received the Meles Zenawi Prize for Achievements in Health, yesterday for significantly reducing maternal and child mortality.
The winners are from the nine regional states and two city administrations of Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa.
The prize is aimed to encourage them and share best practices gained so far nationally regarding maternal and child health.
Ethiopia has managed to reduce maternal mortality by 69 percent and there are also areas that reduces the death rate to zero level, said President Mulatu Teshome.
The health extension program being implemented throughout the country played vital role for the achievements, he added.
Ethiopia has deployed over 30,000 health extension workers through this health service delivery program that aims at universal coverage of primary health care since 2009.
The program gives priority to the prevention and control of communicable disease with active community participation, with the goal of providing equitable access to health services.
It is based on expanding physical health infrastructure and developing a cadre of health extension workers who provide basic curative and preventive health services in every rural community.
The President said the late Meles is behind this success, since he was working for a better life for women and the owner of the idea to deploy health extension workers so as to improve health service accessibility in rural areas.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso R. Moeti on her part said that the results gained in the health sector displays that the visions of Meles are becoming real. (ENA)