Historical Background

Sidama National Regional State was established as the tenth regional state in July 2012 E.C and has now been in work for about three years. The region is bordered by Oromia Regional State (Guji Zone) and Gedeo Zone to the south, Oromia Regional State (West Arsi Zone) to the north, Southern Regional State (Wolaita Zone) to the west, and Oromia Regional State (West Arsi Zone) to the east.

The region covers an area of ​​7,139.1 square kilometers. The regional capital is Hawassa city, 275 kilometers south of Addis Ababa. The region is administratively divided into 31 rural districts, 7 urban administrations, and 636 kebeles (89 urban and 547 rural kebeles), including Hawassa city.

The region has three types of climate, of which 29.3% is lowland, 55% is highland, and 15.7% is highland. The highest point in the region is Mount Garamba, which is 3300 meters above sea level, and the lowest point is Lake Abaya in the Abaya district, Abaya district, at 1200 meters above sea level.

The population of the region is estimated at 4,748,639 in 2016, based on the 2007 Central Statistical Office data. This constitutes about 5% of the country's population and ranks 6th among the regions. Most of the population of the region is settled in all parts of the region, with the western part being the most densely populated, with an average population density of 665 people per square kilometer.

The population of the region is 79% rural and 21% urban.In the 2016 budget year, the population of the region was estimated to be 2,394,739 (50.43%) women and 2,353,900 (49.57%) men, with women in the reproductive age group (15-49 years of age) accounting for 15.1% of the total population.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) estimates that the number of pregnant women is 1,106,433 (23.3%) and the number of pregnant women is 164,303 (3.46%), live births are 164,303 (3.46%), children under one year of age are 151,482 (3.19%), children under two years of age are 246,929 (5.2%), children under five years of age are 740,788 (15.6%) and those aged 15-59 are 2,293,593 (48.3%).

Health Facilities Information

In recent years, the construction of health facilities has been carried out extensively to reach the community through the provision of health services. Currently, 21 government hospitals (1 comprehensive specialized; 5 general and 15 primary), 136 health care centers (132 government; 2 police and 2 military) and 551 health posts are providing services to the community in the region.

In addition, 1 primary hospital and 9 health centers in various districts are currently under construction. Upon completion, the number of hospitals will reach 22 and the number of health centers will reach 145. Non-governmental organizations and private health institutions are expanding from time to time, and currently 5 hospitals, 4 health centers, and more than 180 different clinics are providing services.

The distribution of health facilities relative to the population of the region is relatively low compared to the established standards. Although not included in the comparison of health facilities and population ratios, public and private clinics are providing significant services to the community.

 

Health Service Coverage

A great effort has been made to extend health services to the community over the past decade, and so far, health service coverage has reached 72.0% at health stations, 58.0% at health posts, 31.9% at primary hospitals, 100% at general hospitals, and 100% at comprehensive specialized hospitals. When the health centers under construction are completed and begin operating next year, the health care center coverage will reach 76.7%.

The number of health centers was calculated based on the Ethiopian Health Standard, which is 1:25,000 for farming areas; 1:15,000 for pastoralists; and 1:40,000 for cities. The primary hospital is 1:100,000 for farming and cities, 1:60,000 for pastoralists, and the health checkpoints are 1:5,000 for farming and cities, and 1:3,000 for pastoralists.

HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

At the end of the 2012 fiscal year, the ratio of health professionals to the population was one doctor for 19,860, one health officer for 3,870, one midwife for 7,198, and one nurse for 989 people. The number of nurses was in line with the World Health Organization standard of one nurse for 5,000 people and one health officer for 10,000 people, while the number of other professions was below the standard.

The government has been able to increase the number of health professionals by expanding health professional training and increasing their intake capacity, and although it has been possible to more than double the initial demand when the plan was designed, there is still work to be done to meet the needs of professionals in certain health professions. In this regard, the migration of health professionals, ethical problems, and skills gaps will be an issue that will require much work in the future.