Cesarean delivery rates, hospital readiness and quality of clinical management in Ethiopia: national results from two cross-sectional emergency obstetric and newborn care assessments.

Between 2008 and 2016, government increased the availability of CD services, improved public hospital readiness and some aspects of clinical quality. Strategies tailored to further reduce the high unmet need for CD and what appears to be an increasing number of unnecessary cesareans are discussed. Adherence to best practices and universal coverage of water and electricity will improve the quality of hospital services while the use of the Robson classification system may serve as a useful quality improvement tool.