Abstract:
Background: Ethiopia’s Urban Health Extension Program is an innovative government plan to ensure health equity by creating demand for essential health services through the provision of health information at a household level and access to services through referrals to health facilities. The main purpose of this study was to assess the challenges that UHEPs are facing during implementation of package
Objective: The objective of this study was to explore challenges that health extension workers are facing in implementing urban health extension packages in Bole Sub-city of Addis Ababa.
Method: Facility based qualitative` study design was employed to answer the main objective. Four round FGDs were conducted to collect the data. A total of twenty-eight UHEPs took part in this study. The FGD data were transcribed, translated and initial set of codes were developed using Open Code 4.02 software, then the codes were used to generate thematic groups based on the response from the participants. Thematic analysis was utilized to analyze summarize the data.
Result: The major problem was challenges related with the implementation of the packages. Among the challenges lack of coordination, support, weak referral and feedback system, training, career development, getting education were repeatedly mentioned as major challenges in implementing urban health extension program.
Conclusion and recommendation: lack of proper coordination among different stakeholders, weak referral and feedback system, attitudes of the service recipients, lack of training and motivation, lack of appropriate support from responsibly bodies were the major challenges the hinder the implementation of urban health extension packages. Improve coordination among stakeholders; strengthen referral and feedback system, pre and on job training and design clear career structures are recommendation to minimize the challenges
........................................ Thesis available at ACIPH Library