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The National assessment of the Ethiopian Health Extension Program (HEP)

Status	Completed
Project duration	October 2018 to October 31, 2020
Funding source	Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Client	Ministry of Health
Mechanism	Grant
Category of project	Evaluation and program assessment

Brief description

The national assessment of the Health Extension Program was conducted with a general objective of assessing the status, determinants, and prospects of the HEP and identifying challenges and areas of intervention for program and policy decisions in the Ethiopian health sector. More specifically, the project assessed the:

Relevance of the HEP components to Ethiopians’ health needs;
Implementation status of the HEP;
Population coverage of essential services related to the HEP;
Adequacy of resources needed to implement the HEP;
Contribution of the HEP to recent gains in health status;
Determinants of implementation of the HEP; and
Key areas of intervention for the future improvement of the HEP.

This assessment involved, more than 15000 respondents (women, men and girls), 179 health centers, 343 health posts, and 584 health extension workers in 62 woredas were assessed (in all regions). This assessment addressed all the health system components and health outcomes were addressed. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected, and accompanied by a systematic review of existing literature in primary healthcare. The assessment utilized the PHCPI framework and the Utilization-Focused Evaluation approach. This project involved more than 65 local and international experts with the required skills and professions.

Scope: National

Outputs: Document (hard and electronic copies) Alula M. Teklu, Yibeltal K. Alemayehu, Girmay Medhin, et al (2020). National Assessment of the Ethiopian Health Extension Program: Final Master Report. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: MERQ Consultancy PLC Alula M. Teklu, Yibeltal K. Alemayehu, Girmay Medhin, et al (2020). National Assessment of the Ethiopian Health Extension Program: Final Abridged Report. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: MERQ Consultancy PLC National Assessment of the Ethiopian Health Extension Program: Poster Book [containing 43 posters] Policy briefs: 11 briefs covering important topics Fact sheet: National and regional indicators.