Table 1 Characteristics of study areas at their initial assessment in 2019
Characteristics | Intervention group | Control group |
|---|---|---|
No. clusters in area (kebele) | Bakole, Pereso, Gatse, Laka, Mella and Chenge | Chano, Genta, Dembile, Ocholo and Wezeqa |
No. and type of healthcare facilities in the area | One health post per cluster to serve 3000–5000 population (Six health posts) One health centre (EmOC) to serve up to 25,000 (Three health centres) | One health post per cluster to serve 3000–5000 population (4 health posts) One health centre (EmOC) to serve up to 25,000 (two health centers) |
No. and type of trained health-care providers | Two HEWs at a health post Two nurses, two midwives and one health officer at a health centre | |
Location and distance to the nearest hospital that can perform caesarean birth | Arba Minch Hospital, average 2Â h by car | |
Modes of emergency transport | The district shares one ambulance for all clusters (health centres); there is often no fuel to transfer patients to Arba Minch Hospital. In some areas, public buses are available once daily; traditional stretchers and walking are alternatives | |