MATERNAL MORTALITY IN RURAL COMMUNITIES OF ILLUBABOR, SOUTHWESTERN ETHIOPIA - AS ESTIMATED BY THE SISTERHOOD METHOD

In this study, the ''sisterhood method'', a new indirect technique, ut ilizing a cross-sectional survey by retrospective recall for deriving population-based estimates of maternal mortality for rural communities , was used in rural Illubabor region, Southwestern Ethiopia, in Decemb er 1991. The findings indicate a lifetime risk of maternal mortality o f 0.0426, or 1 in 23 women; approximating a maternal mortality ratio o f 570 per 100,000 live-births. The communities experience high materna l mortality which is compounded by high fertility as reflected by the total fertility rate of 7.6. The method can readily be applied to our settings to estimate the lifetime risk of maternal mortality and deriv e the maternal mortality ratio. In order to generate awareness, suppor t planning and intervention strategies, community-based estimates of m aternal mortality will remain a priority where vital events registrati on is non-existent and health service statistics are not reliable.