Covid-19 | May 16,2020
A wave of "medical brain drain" is taking a toll on Ethiopia's healthcare system, with the country ranking among the top five in Africa for doctor emigration. Despite Ethiopian physicians earning an average annual salary of 4,800 dollars compared to 24,000 dollars in Nigeria, 32pc of employed doctors surveyed last year planned to leave their medical career for different businesses by the following year.
Many factors are driving this trend: low wages and long hours to limited opportunities for career progression. Outdated standards, budget constraints, and an increasing number of physicians without the corresponding expansion in facilities to accommodate them have created a unique set of challenges for Ethiopia's medical field. The government's policy until 2019, aimed at producing a large number of physicians, resulted in a four-fold increase in the number of doctors but without a corresponding increase in the number of hospitals. The mismatch has resulted in severe underemployment.
Federal health officials claim they are exploring options such as starting a matching fund to ease the burden on public hospitals and simplifying the process of setting up private practices. These measures, however, seem to scratch the surface of the problem barely. Ethiopia's public health infrastructure, including its 353 public hospitals and 3,706 health centres, is grappling with a severely limited budget, significantly affecting its ability to accommodate the sizeable medical workforce. Around 20,000 doctors are serving a population of over 100 million.
The situation is particularly critical in Tikur Anbessa Hospital, the largest state-owned referral facility in the country, where daily patient intake is above 15,000. Its annual budget is 400 million Br. A health economist blamed a centralised decision-making process and a lack of strategic, long-term planning for exacerbating the problems. Policymakers are urged to recognise the impact of low-quality healthcare and lack of access and allocate funds accordingly to respond to the dire situation.
You can read the full story here
PUBLISHED ON
Jun 17,2023 [ VOL
24 , NO
1207]
Covid-19 | May 16,2020
Commentaries | Feb 14,2026
Commentaries | Jun 03,2023
Radar | Mar 23,2024
Viewpoints | May 16,2020
Commentaries | Jul 30,2022
My Opinion | Jul 13,2020
Fortune News | Jul 29,2023
Fortune News | Mar 09,2024
Advertorials | Apr 06,2026
Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...
Aug 14 , 2026
Aschalew Fetene, known as “Ardi” and admired for his poetic depth, has built a ti...
Aug 8 , 2026
The World Bank asks readers to picture a mother in rural Ethiopia who has never held...
Jul 31 , 2026
Weldu Yiheysh has not read the Pacific temperature charts. He does not need to. In Shibta District of Enderta Wereda, in...
Jul 25 , 2026
Ideally, citizens who have paid income tax all year should not have to reach for thei...
Loading your updates...