Progress in Ethiopia: an interview with the Ministry of Health

We’ve seen that Ethiopia has made significant advances in relation to family planning outcomes and that political commitment has been central to this progress. In this interview with Dr Addis Tamire Woldemariam, previous Director General of the Office of the Minister in the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, we hear more about the Government’s key drivers and policies for change and how they plan to tackle inequities.

The questions asked throughout the interview are:

• What is the Ethiopian government’s goal for family planning?
• Why is it so important to reach this goal?
• What are the biggest barriers to achieving it?
• What has the government put in place to try and achieve the goal?
• Is the government optimistic about the future of family planning delivery in Ethiopia?

Could some of the policies and approaches described here be applied to your setting?