The Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ESOG) provided comprehensive catchment-based clinical mentorship for Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, and Children’s Health (RMNCH) service providers. The mentorship was undertaken on August 9-19, 2020. The mentorship was undertaken particularly on Family Planning (FP) and Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) services for project health facilities.

Mentors stayed at the health center for two to three days. The team is comprised of 2 Emergency Surgical Officers (ESOs) and two senior midwives. The mentorship involves knowledge and skills assessment and evaluation, review of documents, ground inspections, discussions with facility managers and providers on service gaps, designing FP and CAC quality projects, performing daily activities with providers, case discussions, provision of onsite practical training, PowerPoint presentations, among others. 

The overall goal of the project entitled- Strengthening Capacity and Improving Quality of Reproductive Health (Family Planning (FP) and Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC)) and Reducing Stigma on Abortion Care Service Providers- is to improve the quality of FP and CAC in the primary health care units to increase service uptake and support the Ministry of Health (MoH) on developing effective de-stigmatization strategies for safe abortion care among health care workers. To achieve this end, the projects aim at institutionalizing FP and CAC and newborn health mentorship programs at primary hospitals and health centers through producing Emergency Surgical Officers (ESOs). Strengthening the quality improvement programs in FP, CAC, maternal and child health at primary hospitals and health centers, and reducing stigma and discrimination against abortion care providers are also the objectives of the project.

The project involves a total of 100 health centers and 12 hospitals in two zones, North Shewa and North Wollo of the Amhara Regional State, and in three zones: Arsi, West Shewa, and West Hararge of the Oromia Regional State. 

Funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and partnering with MoH, regional health bureaus, woreda health offices, hospitals, and health centers, the project will run until July 31, 2021.