The results of a cross - sectional descriptive study in 22 commune health stations (CHS) and all heads and midwives of 22 CHSs in Mai Son district, Son La province showed that: (1) Health workforce to provide safe motherhood services mainly were secondary midwives and general assistant doctors, accounted for 61.4 percent, with no obstetrical doctor
the main were staff having the seniority of under 10 years (54.5 percent), being female (77.3 percent), being in Thai ethnicity (59.1 percent) and almost staffs were trained on safe motherhood to get the standards of the mountainous provinces from about 80 percent or more (antenatal care: 84.1 percent
communication: 84.1 percent
midwifery: 79 percent and post-natal care: 79.5 percent). (2) Medical equipment and drug did not get standard yet
there were 13.6 percent of CHSs not to have neonatal resuscitation kit
33.4 percent of CHSs not to have perineum cutting and suturing kit
especially for antisepsis equipment, 54.5 percent of CHSs to be equipped medical clean cloth, 18.2 percent of CHSs to have plastic boxes with lids for cold disinfection
basic drug groups were deficient such as antihypertensive drugs (45.5 percent), sedative drugs (9.1 percent). Two recommendations were proposed to leaders of Son La provincial health department that: (1) To set up priority to invest equipment and drugs according to the national standard of commune health in the period 2011- 2020 for the communes under standards in remote areas, to train health staff having the seniority of under 10 years, being female or in Thai ethnicity
(2) To strengthen human resources for CHSs through contracting or appointing obstetric doctors working at the district hospital to rotate to CHSs 3 times per week.