We educated and encouraged the nurse staff members of 12 randomly selected health (mother and child) clinics in Addis Ababa in performing HC measurements, using a recently developed Ethiopian HC chart. Much of the work was related to follow-up. A local Ethiopian healthcare worker was employed to lead the follow-up and to continue the implementation in the remaining 14 clinics.
During our attempted implementation of routine HC measuring, we encountered a line of administrational, cultural, infrastructural, and didactic problems and challenges, which are discussed.
The experience we have gained during this pilot project will be used in further development and implementation of routine HC measuring throughout Ethiopia. These experiences may be of interest and use to others wanting to introduce similar routines in low-income countries.