Basic obstetric and newborn care provided by skilled attendants during prenatal and delivery has good maternal and neonatal outcomes 12. Cesarean delivery as one of life saving procedure has played a major role in lowering both maternal and neonatal mortality rate 3. Cesarean delivery refers to the delivery of a fetus, placenta and membrane through the abdominal and uterine incision after 28 weeks of gestation 4. Though cesarean delivery is considered as a life-saving intervention for both the maternal and a child health, the quality of obstetric care further determines the outcomes of the mother as well as the fetus 567. Cesarean delivery unless used appropriately, the potential risk to the mother and baby becomes more than the vaginal delivery, therefore it can considered as the vital indications of the health status of the neonate and the mother 68910.

Poor outcomes of cesarean delivery among mothers and fetus in developed and developing countries were reported consistently higher compared to vaginal deliveries 31112. In resource-poor countries where poor quality of obstetric care is the problem, and most cesarean deliveries are performed when a vaginal delivery puts the babies or the mother’s life or health at risk, cesarean delivery is the marker for poor outcomes of maternal and neonatal health 131113. Unlike developed countries, most cesarean deliveries in developing countries are conducted because of obstetrical complications or medical illness. Consequently, the risk of cesarean delivery may be worsening if it is performed under emergency situations 141516.

Though, World Health Organization suggesting that cesarean rate should not exceed 15% 1718, rate of cesarean delivery are increasing dramatically. Due to the rising CS rate in both developed and developing countries, mothers and neonates are also vulnerable to unnecessary risks. However, there is variation on the rate of cesarean delivery in the world; rate of cesarean delivery in developed nations ranged from 12 to 86% 8192021. In developing countries, especially in Sub-Saharan country where maternal and neonatal mortality rate is high, maternal and infant mortality corresponding with the increasing rate of cesarean delivery is associated with the quality of obstetric service during pregnancy and childbirth. In low and middle income countries, the rate of cesarean delivery range between 2 to 39% 18192223

Maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality is not only accounted by the surgical procedure, but also other risk factors such as un-booked status, severe blood loss 11122425, previous antenatal care service, use of general anesthesia, anemia, dehydration, prolong labor, repeated vaginal examination, previous surgery Gestational age, and medical condition diagnosed before cesarean section and scarcity of senior obstetricians 26272829.

Emergency surgical officer is a health professional qualified and authorized to perform emergency obstetrical-gynecological and emergency general surgical procedures. The training has started in 2010 in 3 universities and 10 affiliated sites with intake of 43 students. The MSc program in integrated emergency surgery is intended to achieve one of the millennium development goals (MDG): reducing the overwhelming maternal mortality ratio and perinatal mortality rate at the local and national level. (1) Ethiopia is well-known by high maternal, perinatal and infant mortality rates and trauma relate morbidity and mortality. Therefore, reduction of the morbidities and deaths in our country will require a shift in the strategy that will ensure that majority of emergencies and births are attended by appropriately trained and skilled healthcare professionals including nurses, midwives, health officers and doctors able to prevent, detect and manage obstetric complications and surgical emergencies. (2)

The IESO program is thus developed to produce emergency surgical officers in Ethiopia capable to handle common emergency obstetrical gynecological and emergency general surgical procedures including trauma at accessible locality. After a 3 years intensive training on integrated emergency surgery, a surgical officer is expected to undertake the following activities and procedures. Diagnose common general surgical and obstetrical emergency problems, make a sound decision in clinical management, perform emergency vaginal surgical procedures if indicated, e.g. Vacuum extraction and craniotomy, Perform emergency caesarean section, emergency hysterectomy, and laparotomy for tubal pregnancy, Perform appendectomy, emergency small bowel resection and anastomosis, repair bowel perforation, colostomy, cystostomy and abscess drainage ,Handle emergency trauma including fracture, dislocation, amputation, debridement, and septic arthritis, Manage intraoperative and postoperative complications, competent in cardiorespiratory resuscitation, primary care of head injuries, and thoracostomy, Diagnose and manage common emergency medical problems(2)

Reducing maternal mortality and providing universal access to reproductive health in resource limited settings has been severely constrained by a shortage of health workers required to deliver evidence based interventions(3). Task shifting has been highlighted as an important strategy to optimize health worker performance in resource poor settings (PMNCH/ WHO 2010) and provide the right mix of skills required to undertake the activities required for the service. (4)

The delegation of maternal and reproductive health care duties to other cadres is practiced in many countries(5). One such group has been labelled ‘mid-level’ cadres and includes non-physician clinicians (NPC), nurses, midwives, auxiliary nurses and midwives and community health workers (CHWs). Despite the 2009

Based on a study by Dawson et al, on task shifting and sharing in maternal and reproductive health in low-income countries which focuses on clinical tasks (the delivery of obstetric surgery, anesthesia and abortion) that were shifted to and/or shared with doctors, non-physician clinicians, nurses and midwives concluded that shifting and sharing these tasks may increase access to and availability of maternal and reproductive health services without compromising performance or patient outcomes and may be cost effective (7)

In Ethiopia, maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rate is high. Maternal and neonatal death in the country is reported as 470 per 100,000 live birth and 37 per live births respectively. Though, institutional delivery rate across the country become increasing, the change in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rate is not reduced substantially. According to 2011 Ethiopian demographic and health survey report, 2% of the pregnant women are delivered with cesarean section which is increased by 1% from the 2010 Demographic and health survey report 303132. Therefore, this study assessed Rate, Maternal and Fetal Outcome of Cesarean delivery performed by Integrated emergency surgical officers at Shenen Gibe General Hospital, Jimma south west Ethiopia.

Cesarean section is the commonest obstetric operative procedure worldwide. When cesarean section is used appropriately it can improve the health outcomes of both the mothers and neonate. However, when used inappropriately the potential harm may exceed the potential benefit of cesarean section. World health organization recommends that the rate of CS should not exceed 15% in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the cesarean section rate, maternal and fetal outcomes performed by integrated emergency surgical officer in shenen Gibe general Hospital.

In this study, the rate of cesarean section (CS) delivery was 11%. This finding was consistent with the WHO recommendation which is between 5-15% 1718. However, it was lower than studies conducted elsewhere in Ethiopia 123334. In this study majority (63.6%) of cesarean section deliveries were conducted within the age ranged from 20-29 years, which is consistent with the study conducted in Sudan 8. This might be because of the reason that these age groups are the most reproductively active age group.

The finding of this study indicated that, the leading indication for cesarean section delivery was fetal distress; it accounted 25% of all the cesarean section which was consistent with the finding at southern Ethiopia, and Yekatit 12 hospital in Ethiopia 35 while, fetal distress proportion in this study was higher than studies at Jimma university specialized hospital 12, Nigeria and Pakistan 26. The higher proportion of fetal distress responsible for Cesarean section delivery might be due to the use of intermittent auscultation and nature of amniotic fluid as means of fetal monitoring during labor in the study center, because there were no facilities for electronic fetal monitoring in this study.

Although the cesarean section rate in this study was in line with the WHO recommended range, the two years of retrospective data analysis indicated that; two hundred six babies died in all forms of delivery and 42 neonates were died following cesarean section procedure, giving the overall neonatal mortality rate of 98.8% per 1000 live birth and a proportion of 16.8% neonatal death due to cesarean section delivery. Similar finding was reported in Ethiopia at Black lion hospital and Jimma Hospitals 1112.

On the other hand, in this study among the total 2267 total deliveries, eight mothers were died, giving the overall maternal mortality ratio 353 per 100,000 live births, while maternal mortality following cesarean section delivery accounted 12 per 1000 live births, which was higher than the finding from Jimma University specialized Hospital 12. Besides maternal deaths, 28% of the mothers develop one or more illness following cesarean section delivery, majority of the poor health outcomes other than death was noted among mother whose age between 40-49 years. The major causes of maternal illness was wound infection (46%), hemorrhage (PPH) (23%), anesthesia complication (17%) and sepsis (14%), which was higher compared with the finding from Jimma 3637. The higher proportion of poor health outcomes of the mother following cesarean section delivery was due to the poor pre-operative preparation (preoperative prophylaxis), cleanness of the surrounding environment, and poor follow-up.

As limitation, outcomes of cesarean section delivery that were discharge at home from the hospital were not assessed. In addition, the nature of the study which was retrospective data analysis misses some variables.

The cesarean section rate of 11.0% of observed in this review is within the recommended range by the WHO for developing countries (5%-15%). The health outcome of both the mother and neonate following cesarean section delivery was worrisome. Hemorrhagic shock and respiratory failure was the major causes of maternal deaths. While, cephlopelivic disproportion (including failure to progress secondary to arrest disorder) was a major maternal indication for poor maternal health outcomes. Therefore, timely and adequate progress of labor evaluation should be conducted. In addition, fetal heart rate monitoring in labor is recommended to reduce the suspected fetal distress. Moreover, basic maternal health service and basic emergency obstetric care should be strengthening. Furthermore, establish neonatology unit near to the maternity ward to prevent neonatal hypothermia is very essential.