Reproductive Health for Health Science Students in Ethiopia: Lecturer Notes

Teaching reproductive health to students is a challenge because of its vastness and inter-disciplinary nature; it is at the crossroad between clinical and public health teaching. Most of the problems in reproductive health require skills and procedures that need to be performed to reach the desired outcomes. Despite major progresses have been made to improve the health status of the population in the last one and half decades, Ethiopia?s population still face a high rate of morbidity and mortality and its health status remained poor. Latest figures (2011) in vital health indicators show a life expectance of 56 years (53.6 years for male and 58.8 for female), an IMR of 59/1000 and under-five mortality rate of 88/1000. More than 90% of child deaths are due to pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, neonatal problems, malnutrition and HIV/AIDS, and often to a combination of these conditions. These are very high levels, though there has been a gradual decline in these rates during the past 15years. In terms of women health, MMR at 590/100,000 (HSDP 2010) still remain high. Thus, I think will be of help to meet the millennium development goals in the health perspective.