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The Healthcare Sector: A Strategic Imperative for National Prosperity and Sustainability

The Federal Government of Ethiopia’s exclusion of the healthcare sector from its core five strategic prioritized sectors undermines the nation’s development ambitions and betrays its commitment to building a self reliant, prosperous future. A nation’s strength lies not only in its agricultural yields, city parks, or mineral wealth but in the vitality of its people. To neglect this core sector is to sabotage Ethiopia’s economic growth and national sovereignty. 

The rationales for considering healthcare as one of Ethiopia’s core priorities are outlined below:

1. Human Capital: The Foundation of Growth
Ethiopia’s youthful population is its greatest asset, but malnutrition, preventable diseases, and treatable illnesses stifle this potential. Investing in preventive care, nutrition programs, early diagnosis, treatment and health education unlocks the workforce needed to drive agriculture, industry, and tech innovation sectors prioritized by the government. Healthy citizens are not a cost; they are the engine of sustainable development.

2. Economic Engine and Regional Hub
Healthcare is a catalyst for economic transformation. Strategic investment can position Ethiopia as a hub for medical tourism in East Africa, enhance inflows of foreign currency and revitalizing sectors like hospitality and transportation. Nations such as India and Rwanda demonstrate how targeted healthcare system investments boost GDP sustainably .

3. Pharmaceutical Independence and
Health Driven Industrialization
Local production of generics, vaccines, and medical supplies would reduce dependency on imports, curb drug shortages, create jobs, and shield Ethiopia from global crises . Factories producing gloves, syringes, and diagnostics would position the nation as a regional leader in manufacturing, which is a critical step toward industrialization and export diversification. 

4. Good Governance and Crisis Management
A strong healthcare system also produces resilient and capable leaders for the nation. In an era increasingly defined by complex crises, be it economic dynamics or public governance issues , leaders who have experience in the  healthcare sector bring valuable knowledge, skills, strong work ethics, empathy, and critical thinking. These qualities enable them to make sound decisions under pressure and position them well to fill the severe leadership shortages which we have been witnessing nationwide .

A Call to Action
Declaring and Repositioning the healthcare sector as one of a national priority requires bold, assertive and immediate reforms of the healthcare system, those are:

1. Retain and Empower Healthcare Professionals
Implement urgent reforms to provide competitive salaries, improved working conditions, modern equipment, and opportunities for professional growth to halt the critical brain drain of our skilled medical personnel.

2. Legislate for Self Reliance
Enact policies that aggressively incentivize and streamline regulations for local pharmaceutical and medical supply manufacturing. Foster public-private partnerships to accelerate this industrialization.

3. Leverage Strategic Partnerships
While prioritizing domestic resources, actively leverage collaborations with international partners (UN, AU, friendly nations, private sector) to secure targeted funding, technology transfer, and expertise for infrastructure and capacity building.

In conclusion, to sideline the healthcare sector is to gamble with Ethiopia’s future. No nation ascends to prosperity with ailing citizens. This is not idealism, but it is strategic pragmatism. As Ethiopia invests in dams, industrial zones, and digital infrastructure, let it also invest in the people who will sustain these achievements. A healthy Ethiopia is a productive Ethiopia. A sovereign Ethiopia. A prosperous Ethiopia . 

Dr. Henock Minassie
JJU-SHYCSH

@core_note

I still don’t understand how those who once walked our path, those who once felt the same hunger, the same pain, the same forgotten nights — how they could become so deaf to our voices the moment they sat in the chair of power. Is it possible that they were never truly with us? Or is it the chair itself that hardens the heart, that turns empathy into arrogance?

We are not shouting for privilege. We are not demanding wealth or luxury. We are simply asking to stay alive. We, Ethiopia’s health professionals, are asking for the most basic human need — survival. And even that seems too much to ask.

How can it be that the same child who once stood proudly in front of a classroom, the one everyone called “the hope of the future,” is now whispering for help, just to make it through one more day? We were the brave ones, the ones everyone admired. And yet, after all we’ve endured — the sleepless years in medical school, the unbearable stress, the lives we held in trembling hands — all we are left with is silence and shattered dreams.

They told us we would one day be saviors. They said we were special. But now we’re here, worn thin and invisible, breaking beneath the weight of a system that gives us nothing back. We sacrificed everything — our youth, our peace of mind, our families, our health. And what did we find at the end of that long, painful road? A life that feels more like a sentence than a reward.

We did not come into this field chasing money. We came because we believed in healing. In humanity. In hope. But what do we do now, when even hope has grown tired?

Every single day, our colleagues — our sisters, our brothers — fall. Not just emotionally, but physically, to the diseases they risk their lives fighting. TB. Hepatitis. HIV. These aren’t statistics — they are names, faces, friends. They are the ones who gave everything. And yet we, the ones who touch death to save others, are denied even the basic protection of health insurance.

How do you explain this to a grieving family — that their child died helping someone live, and there was no one there to help them back? That in Ethiopia, even a doctor can die begging outside a hospital gate — a hospital where they once saved countless lives. That the Ministry of Health, the one body that should cry for us, doesn’t speak. Doesn’t move. Doesn’t care.

For whom does the Ministry stand, if not for us? Whose voices does it echo, if not ours?

It is beyond shame. It is heartbreak.

There is no deeper sorrow than watching the healers of this nation become the wounded, the forgotten, the abandoned. We are not asking for gold. We are asking for fairness. For dignity. For rest. We work 36 hours without sleep, stitching wounds, stopping bleeds, fighting for every heartbeat. And when the shift ends, there is nothing waiting for us but fatigue and silence.

How do I tell my younger brother — the one who dreams of becoming a doctor — that the road ahead is paved not with purpose, but with pain? How do I look into his hopeful eyes and lie?

The system is crushing the dreams of a generation. It's not just killing doctors — it's killing the future.

This silence — this brutal, suffocating silence — must end. We need more than just promises. We need to believe again. In something. In anything. In a future where those who give everything don’t end up with nothing.

Let this be the day we stop dying quietly.
Let this be the day we are finally seen.

Dr. Freyesus Gebre

ይህ ወንድማችን ዶ/ር ገ/ሚካኤል ወ/መልዓክ ይባላል። በ 2015 ዓ.ም ከወልቂጤ ዩኒቨርሲቲ የተመረቀ ወጣት ሐኪም ነበር።

እናት ሆስፒታል ተቀጥሮ እየሰራ ነበር። ወደቤተሰቦቹ እየሄደ ባለበት ሰዓት ባልታወቁ ሰዎች ከመኪና ውስጥ በጥይት ተመትቶ ሕይወቱ አልፏል።

Rest in peace 🪦

Best of luck to Jimma University Medical Center Clinical 2 medical students who are going to start their qualification exam tomorrow.


@core_note

I recently conducted a mini survey among my medical school classmates, and the results are deeply troubling: nearly one-third have already left Ethiopia, primarily for the United States.

Increasingly, recent medical graduates begin preparing for the USMLE during their internship, with little to no intention of remaining in the country. In 2024 alone, I wrote recommendation letters for eight of my former students—three of them have already secured residency positions in the U.S.

Alarmingly, the number of doctors applying to residency programs within Ethiopia has dropped significantly. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, joining a local residency program was the aspiration of most new graduates. However, in the 2024/25 Ethiopian Residency Matching Program, there were 373 unfilled positions across key specialties, including general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, anesthesiology, and emergency & critical care. This signals a dramatic shift in priorities and confidence in the future of medical careers in Ethiopia.

This crisis is not confined to physicians. Increasingly, the most talented high school students are choosing fields like IT and computer science over medicine. At the same time, many nurses are leaving healthcare altogether, opting to start small businesses or pursue degrees in accounting in order to work in banks. These shifts are not isolated incidents—they are symptomatic of a larger systemic failure to adequately recognize, support, and retain healthcare professionals.

What we are witnessing is only the beginning. If this trend continues, Ethiopia faces an unavoidable and catastrophic shortage of doctors and other health professionals in the coming decade. This will jeopardize the country’s capacity to deliver even basic healthcare, let alone respond to emergencies or advance toward universal health coverage.

The root causes are clear: insufficient salaries, limited career development opportunities, poor working conditions, and a lack of institutional support. These challenges must be addressed with urgency. This is not simply about improving job satisfaction—it is about safeguarding the nation’s health system and future.

We must treat this as serious business. Comprehensive reforms, including significant improvements in salary, workplace infrastructure, and career development pathways, are urgently needed. Without such interventions, the health system in Ethiopia risks collapse under the weight of a growing population and a dwindling workforce.

Health workforce justice is not optional—it is a national imperative.

Professor Esayas Kebede Gudina, is a professor of Medicine at the Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Health, Jimma University

We're conducting a survey to gather data on the challenges faced by healthcare workers in Ethiopia, including issues like burnout, economic hardship, and lack of institutional support. This data will greatly assist our advocy efforts for policy change and help mobilize public action. We will make the results publicly available as soon as enough participants complete the survey!

Arguing with statistics will make the argument even better.

✅ Completely anonymous
⏱ Takes just a few minutes

https://dasesa.co/survey/respond/UPO2O9r59Cvq2OQ6xPlH

Thank you!

What do you think about this post?

@core_note

Dear Brave Doctors,

The time for waiting is over. The time for pleading is gone.
We have written, we have shouted, we have marched — and we will not be ignored.

We are not asking for a solution — we are the solution.
We are not creating a crisis — we are confronting one.
We are not patching up a dying system — we are tearing it down and building something new.
We are not harming our people — we are fighting at least for our basic needs.
We are not requesting change — we are demanding it, commanding it, and leading it.

The old ways have failed.
We will not let our patients suffer.
We will not let our profession be dishonored.
We will reclaim what is just, what is fair, what is ours to create.

Please understand: this is not a political issue.
This is not a protest.
This is not about ego or pride.
This is about survival.
This is about the future of our country.

This is a societal question. One we all must answer.

Doctors, stand tall. Stand united. Stand unbreakable.
The future is ours to shape — and we begin now.


@core_note

#FactCheck ይህ ምስል “በአክሱም ሆስፒታል ሀኪሞች ስራ በማቆማቸው ህይወታቸው ያለፈን አዛውንት” አያሳይም!

ኢትዮጵያ ቼክ--- በርካታ የፌስቡክ ገጾችና አካውንቶች ምስላቸው የሚታየው አዛውንት በትላንትናው እለት በአክሱም ሆስፒታል ህይወታቸው እንዳለፈ መረጃ እያጋሩ ይገኛሉ።

ይህ መረጃ “የህልፈታቸው ምክንያት ደግሞ ሀኪሞች የስራ ማቆም ሰልፍ በግቢ ውስጥ እያካሄዱ ስለነበር ነው” ይላል።

በተጨማሪም “በመጨረሻም የድንገተኛ ክፍል ተረኛ የነበረው ሀኪም ጋወኑን አውልቆ ጠቅልሎ በላያቸው ላይ ጥሎ ዳግም ወደ ህክምና ላይመለስ እያለቀሰ ግቢውን ለቆ ወጣ” የሚል መረጃም ተካቷል።

ይህን መረጃ ካጋሩ የፌስቡክ ገጾች መካከል ‘Kalkidan Dawit’ የሚል ስም እና 45 ሺህ ተከታዮች ያሉት ገጽ ይገኝበታል።

በዚህ ገጽ የተጋራውን መረጃ ከ100 በላይ የፌስቡክ ተጠቃሚዎች መልሰው ያጋሩት ሲሆን ከ340 በላይ አስተያየቶች ተሰጥተውበታል፣ ከ1,500 በላይ ሰዎች ደግሞ ሪአክሽን ሰጥተዋል።

ይሁን እንጂ ኢትዮጵያ ቼክ በምስሉ ላይ ባደረገው ማጣራት ይህ ምስል በትላንትናው እለት በአክሱም ሆስፒታል ህይወታቸው ያለፈን አዛውንትን እንደማያሳይ አረጋግጧል።

ምስልን በምልሰት መፈለጊያ መገልገያዎችን በመጠቀም ባደረግነው ማጣራት ምስሉ ከ6 ቀናት በፊት ፌስቡክ እና ኤክስ (X) ላይ ተጋርቶ እንደነበር ተመልክተናል።

ምስሉን ያጋሩ አካውንቶች በትግራይ ክልል ሕፃፅ ከተማ የሚገኙ ተፈናቃይን እንደሚያሳይ በመግለጽ በከተማው የሚገኙ ተፈናቃዮች አስቸጋሪ ሁኔታ ውስጥ እንደሚገኙና ትኩረት እንዲሰጣቸው ጥሪ አቅርበዋል።

ይህን ከቀናት በፊት የተጋራ ምስልና መረጃም ቀጥሎ ያሉትን ማስፈንጠሪያዎች በመጫን መመልከት ይቻላል፡ https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AafEVYpJC/ እና https://x.com/tigrwayti/status/1919738488661881344?s=46&t=dmcdufxK8i9nmLEWi2-yGQ

በሌላ በኩል በተለያዩ የኢትዮጵያ ክልሎች እና ከተሞች የሚገኙ የህክምና ባለሙያዎች ላለፈው አንድ ወር ከደሞዝና ሌሎች ጥቅማ ጥቅሞች ጋር በተገናኘ በማህበራዊ ትስስር ገጾች ዘመቻ ሲያደርጉ የቆዩ ሲሆን ከዛሬ ግንቦት 5፣ 2017 ጀምሮ ደግሞ ስራ የማቆም አድማ እንደሚያደርጉ ሲገልጹ ሰንብተዋል።

በዚህ ጊዜያት በርካታ መረጃዎች ከተለያዩ አቅጣጫዎች እየተጋሩ ሲሆን ለሀሰተኛ እና አሳሳች መረጃዎች እንዳንጋለጥ ተገቢውን ጥንቃቄ እናድርግ።

ኢትዮጵያ ቼክ
@core_note

Why should doctors and nurses take examinations and additional trainings when they migrate to another country?

Doctors and nurses are often required to take examinations and undergo additional training when they migrate to another country to practice. This requirement is a global standard, applied regardless of the quality of training in their country of origin, including Ethiopia. The requirement is not necessarily a judgment on the quality of training in their home country, nor is it simply about mistrust. Rather, it is rooted in a complex mix of patient safety, differences in health systems, regulatory harmonization, language and communication, and legal accountability.

Here are some of the rationales behind these requirements, supported by scientific literature, global guidelines, and regulatory frameworks.

1️⃣Ensuring patient safety and quality of care
Ensuring that foreign-trained doctors and nurses are competent in local healthcare practices is crucial for patient safety. A review by Maben and Griffiths (2008) found that differences in education and clinical experience may lead to variable competencies, which could impact care quality, particularly in high-risk settings like ICUs. In the UK, the General Medical Council (GMC) and Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) require exams like PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board) or OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations) to test minimum standards for safe practice.

2️⃣Differences in health systems and clinical guidelines
Health systems, disease profiles, and clinical guidelines vary widely across countries. For instance, a doctor trained in Ethiopia may have strong clinical acumen in infectious diseases like HIV, TB, and malaria but may lack familiarity with protocols for managing diseases like cystic fibrosis or advanced geriatric care common in the UK or US. Besides, countries often have specific local policies. For instance, The European Commission’s Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications permits EU countries to test applicants on their knowledge of national health laws and practices. Furthermore, there are obvious practice variations between countries. The use of electronic health records, multidisciplinary team-based care, or end-of-life protocols may be drastically different between countries.

3️⃣Language proficiency and communication standards
Effective communication is essential to avoid errors, obtain informed consent, and ensure good patient outcomes. The Joint Commission in the U.S. identifies communication failure as the root cause in over 70% of sentinel events (serious adverse events). Hence, countries often require proof of language proficiency (e.g., IELTS or OET for English-speaking countries).

4️⃣Legal and ethical frameworks vary
Every country has unique legal and ethical obligations that healthcare providers must understand and follow. For example, consent laws, scope of practice, mandatory reporting requirements, and malpractice regulations differ significantly. The American Medical Association and the UK’s GMC both include country-specific ethical codes. Understanding local medical-legal contexts is essential to practicing safely and lawfully.

5️⃣Standardization and benchmarking
Regulatory bodies need a standardized, objective benchmark to compare the competence of healthcare workers from diverse training backgrounds. The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) in the US assesses whether IMGs (International Medical Graduates) are “ready to enter residency or fellowship programs” using USMLE Step exams, which are based on standardized core competencies. This doesn’t imply that IMGs are less competent, but rather that training standards vary, and national boards cannot assess every global curriculum individually.

6️⃣Public trust and professional accountability
Health professionals are among the most trusted professions, and regulatory processes aim to preserve that trust.