Amhara Region Places Two Billion Br in War Recompense

The federal government has received a request for reimbursement in billions from the Amhara Regional State, for costs incurred for medical treatment provisions to members of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) injured in the war in Tigray Regional State, among others.

A letter from the regional health bureau requesting reimbursement was sent to the Ministry of Peace, copied to the Ministry of Health, confirmed Alemtsehay Paulos, state minister for Health.

Since November last year, the civil war unabated in Tigray cost the Amhara regional budget billions of Birr, of which two billion Birr is requested as a recompense from the federal government, Fortune verified. Hospitals and health centres in the Amhara region are under pressure to undertake their usual activities, affecting the provision of health services to the population due to a surge in medical expenses.

Gizachew Muluneh, communications affairs director of the Amhara Regional Administration, confirmed that a budget request has already been sent to the federal government. "We've incurred high costs for measures that required immediate intervention [from the regional government]," he told Fortune.

Several public hospitals in the region have been put to provide medical treatment for injured military members. A Bahir Dar University referral hospital, Finote Ghion Hospital began receiving injured soldiers immediately after the conflict broke out last year. According to hospital sources, the Hospital sent some of its medics to the war front in the Western Command, deployed to provide treatments on the battlefront.

"Psychiatrists are still serving in these areas," these sources told Fortune.

The radiology department of the Hospital sees up to four heavily injured patients a week. Still, the number was double during the early days of the conflict, according to a health worker who requested to remain anonymous due to the issue's sensitivity. In addition to members of the national army, the Hospital has been providing care for members of the Amhara special forces, these sources disclosed.

Although the cost of these unanticipated services has put a toll on the Hospital's budget, it has yet to ask for a reimbursement.

The Amhara regional state received 37.8 billion Br in budget support, representing close to eight percent of the federal government budget. However, the recompense its health authorities have requested constitutes a little over three percent of the 62 billion Br budget the regional council has approved for the fiscal year.

The budget for health services comes through three channels: treasury account, disbursed for general health purposes; support from bilateral and multilateral partners on project bases; and non-profit organisations.