The number of ethnic pregnant women in the central highlands province of Gia Lai having regular medical check-ups at clinics is increasing, but 58% of them still give birth at home. Medical teams have toured mountain villages in Gia Lai to talk with ethnic women about the importance of health care during pregnancy and after birth. Gia Lai was selected by the Ministry of Health in 2007 to receive funding from the European Commission (EC) project to help poor people in five northern and Central Highland provinces to access health care. In the last two years, over 800 pregnant women in Gia Lai’s 29 villages received check-ups and 121 midwives had received training to upgrade their skills that enable them to care for expectant mothers who decide to give birth at home.
