Peter Van Arsdale, Ph.D.

These interviews were conducted by Laury Bowman, J.D., Teklemariam Ergat, Ph.D., and Peter Van Arsdale, Ph.D., at 10 clinics and hospitals.  Women arriving at one clinic are pictured above.  All those interviewed were in their third trimester and awaiting delivery:

Following an identical 10-question oral protocol for each of those interviewed, she was one of 20 pregnant women who voluntarily participated at a number of centers throughout the region. Mintwab is a high school teacher and one of the more highly educated women we interviewed.  She was very familiar with the Bachuma facility, having given birth here previously by C-section.  She had received good health services before and expected the same again.  Community health outreach workers had recently come to her home, provided a brief check-up, and shared information about what to expect at the hospital. Mintwab stressed that she… Read More »A Role Model for Other Women – Mintwab Gedefu

These interviews were conducted by Laury Bowman, J.D., Teklemariam Ergat, Ph.D., and Peter Van Arsdale, Ph.D., at eight clinics and hospitals.   One clinic’s Maternal Waiting Area (MWA) is pictured above.  Interviews were conducted with 10 nurse midwives (NMWs) and clinic/health center coordinators within the two zones.  All were enthusiastic to share their perspectives, responding to an open-ended six question oral survey.  Incentives, constraints, problems, best practices, opportunities, and recommendations all were addressed: Recommendations derived from these interviews, complemented by our own observations, include enhancing the on-site health education that patients receive; expanding the NMW training/skills program to more participants; expanding… Read More »Highlights October, 2024, Interviews of 10 Health Service Providers West Omo Zone and Bench Sheko Zone Facilities, Ethiopia

  Meron at that time was in charge of a remarkable number of Mizan NMWs:  59. (There were an additional 169 nurses.)  Among the most highly educated of the people we interviewed, with an M.P.H. degree and Amharan ethnicity, she had served as head for three years, and eight years total.  She “worked her way up,” having been a NMW in a rural community.  That the Mizan Hospital supports 15 facilities means that she is in constant contact with professionals spanning a wide range of training and expertise.  Many of the NMWs, as we learned through other aspects of our… Read More »A Talented and Dedicated Professional – Meron Girmeye

The VHP – Ethiopia Nurse Midwife Program: An Analysis of Test Scores, 2021 – 2023 (with implications for mentoring) by Peter Van Arsdale, VHP (Executive Summary, December, 2023) Introduction: As noted in the Village Health Partnership (VHP) October, 2021, trip report, a number of nurse midwives (NMWs) in the remote Suri region of s.w. Ethiopia’s West Omo Zone (WOZ) were not passing the most basic skill checks.  Others also were struggling.  Five from Suri were sent to the Mizan Tepi University Teaching Hospital (MTUTH) for training, but failed the certification test.  At that time, in consultation with our MTUTH colleague… Read More »Ethiopia Nurse Midwife Program: