The Minister of Health, H.E. Dr. Lia Tadesse, the Ambassador of the European Union in Ethiopia, H.E. Roland Kobia, the Ambassador of Spain in Ethiopia, H.E. Manuel Salazar Palma, and the Ambassador of Italy in Ethiopia, H.E. Agostino Palese, gathered on May 16, to formally launch the new “European joint initiative to strengthen medical specialization in Ethiopia”, for the Ethiopian public health system to strengthen its resilience.
The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in Addis Ababa sealed with this signature the first Delegated Initiative managed as AICS, aimed at strengthening the health system in terms of quality and access.
The “European Joint Initiative to support medical specialization in Ethiopia” is conceived under a Team Europe approach that foresees the participation of other Member States of the European Union, to promote post-crisis rehabilitation of the health system in Ethiopia.
With a total investment of more than five million euros, the programme aims to strengthen eight medical specialties (pediatrics and child health, obstetrics and gynecology, traumatology and orthopedics, radiology, emergency, and critical care, anesthesiology and intensive care, surgery and psychiatry) in eight university hospitals in: Adama, Addis Abeba, Bahir Dar, Debre Tabor, Gondar, Haramaya, Jimma and Wollo Dessie.
The activities in the above-mentioned hospitals, which altogether have a reference population of more than 70 million Ethiopians, will be focused on three areas:
- Provide in service training in the selected specialties and hospitals, both to residents and senior doctors, while reinforcing the training curricula and plans.
- Supply of necessary equipment and infrastructure rehabilitation in the selected hospitals to support the correct implementation of the trainings.
- Improve managerial and clinical skills and other transversal issues in these hospitals through research and training.
For the next two years, European and Ethiopian specialists will exchange knowledge and experiences to strengthen specialized medicine in Ethiopia, following the Federal Ministry of Health guidelines.
The Italian contribution to the “European Joint Initiative to support medical specialization in Ethiopia” will be focused on providing specialized medical equipment and the rehabilitation of the University hospital’s infrastructures. Moreover, some Italian professionals will be assigned both as specialty Team Leaders and as trainers.
AICS Addis Ababa is glad to take part in this project, being the health sector one of its priority and an area on which it will continue to focus its efforts.
