Introduction: With an estimated 82 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the second most populouscountry in Sub-Saharan Africa and has more than 85% living in the rural areas. The countryhas one of the highest under-five (88 of every 1000 children) and maternal mortality ratio(676 per 100,000 live births EDHS 2011(1). Communicable diseases such as lowerrespiratory infections, HIV/AIDS, perinatal conditions, diarrheal disease, Tuberculosis, andmeasles lead the list of ten top causes of death and years of life lost (2). However, morbidityand mortality are not evenly distributed across the population. Studies show that access tobasic services such as skilled birth attendance varies between 3 to 45 percent in rural andurban areas respectively. Similarly, measles immunization coverage for rural children is 35percent compared to 65 percent for their counterparts in urban areas. The same healthdisparity is also evident along income lines (3).Contributing factors to this include poor access to proven preventive and curativeservices and poorly staffed and equipped health facilities when access to health services is nota major constraint.
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