Dec 4 , 2022
The public hospital in Dessie, 400Km north of the capital in the Amhara Regional State, is beginning to crawl to its regular operations as the first delivery of rehabilitation works was delivered last week. Expertise France, a French public agency, is carrying out the work with five million euros financed by the French government and the European Union (EU). The handover ceremony was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Health, Rémi Marechaux and Roland Kobia, ambassadors of France and the European Union. The Hospital provides services to nearly half a million patients annually, including those travelling from the neighbouring Tigray and Afar regional states. It is among the largest in the country, with over 1,000 health professionals working. It has seen services interrupted as its facilities and equipment suffered damage due to the militarized conflict raging in the north. The Hospital has been operating at less than half its capacity and suffers from damaged x-ray machines and microscopes. Hospital administrators estimate the losses at 2.1 billion Br. According to the French agency, this first delivery will provide the Hospital with the necessary equipment to relaunch primary health care. The Agency experts determined that the Hospital requires a new wastewater treatment plant and water supply system, as well as electrical repairs and machinery supplies. Expertise France floated tenders two months ago for medical equipment supply and to hire a construction firm for construction works.