A Consultation Worth Less Than Bread

A Consultation Worth Less Than Bread

Jul 18 , 2026. By Eden Sahle ( Eden Sahle is founder and CEO of Yoda Technology Plc. She has studied law with a focus on international economic law. She can be reached at edensah2000@gmail.com. )

A consultation fee of 10 Br has become a symbol of a larger challenge facing Ethiopia's telemedicine industry. While digital platforms promise efficiency, accessibility, and reduced healthcare costs, many physicians question whether the model is financially viable. The sector's success depends on retaining qualified professionals willing to deliver remote care. Fair compensation and ethical management practices are becoming central issues. The future of telemedicine may depend on resolving them.

Imagine spending seven years studying medicine, completing demanding clinical rotations, carrying the responsibility of patients' lives, and then earning less from a medical consultation than the price of a loaf of bread. For some young Ethiopian doctors who have worked in telemedicine, this is not a hypothetical scenario but a lived reality that exposes a deeper problem: telemedicine in Ethiopia cannot be sustainable if the professionals delivering it are undervalued.

Their experiences raise difficult questions about the future of digital healthcare in the country. Telemedicine has the potential to make healthcare more accessible, affordable, and efficient. Yet, unless the professionals providing the service are compensated fairly, one of healthcare's most promising innovations risks losing momentum before realising its full potential.

Healthcare is changing across the world. In countries with advanced digital infrastructure, telemedicine has evolved from a convenient alternative into an essential component of modern healthcare. Patients now consult physicians through video calls, receive prescriptions electronically, monitor chronic illnesses remotely, and access specialist care without travelling long distances. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this shift, demonstrating that quality medical care can often be delivered without requiring patients to sit in crowded waiting rooms.

For countries such as Ethiopia, where transportation barriers and shortages of healthcare professionals continue to limit access to medical services, telemedicine offers even greater promise. It has the capacity to connect patients in remote communities with experienced physicians, reduce unnecessary hospital visits, lower transportation costs, and expand access to care for vulnerable populations.

Yet, despite this considerable potential, the telemedicine industry has struggled to gain lasting traction. While several platforms entered the market with ambitious visions, many have failed to maintain the confidence of healthcare professionals, threatening the sustainability of a service that could significantly improve healthcare delivery.

At the centre of the problem is a business model that many medical professionals consider fundamentally unfair, and it is this issue that threatens telemedicine's future.

Several young physicians who have worked with telemedicine providers describe a system in which they spend hours consulting patients, offering medical advice, reviewing symptoms, and providing professional guidance, only to receive minimal compensation for their time. According to doctors who have shared their experiences, payment for each consultation can be as little as 10 Br.

Financial concerns are not the only issue being raised. Some young physicians also report experiencing disrespectful treatment within certain telemedicine organisations. They describe workplaces where they feel undervalued, pressured, or subjected to harsh verbal treatment by administrators. Whether these experiences are widespread or confined to particular companies, they point to an important truth: digital healthcare cannot succeed without healthy professional relationships between healthcare providers and platform managers.

Technology alone cannot build a successful healthcare system. People do.

When physicians feel respected, fairly compensated, and professionally supported, they are more likely to remain committed to serving patients through innovative digital platforms. When medical professionals become discouraged, platforms struggle to retain qualified clinicians, ultimately affecting the quality and availability of patient care.

This is particularly unfortunate because the benefits of telemedicine are substantial.

For many Ethiopians, obtaining medical care requires long journeys, transportation expenses, lengthy queues, and significant time away from work or family responsibilities. Rural communities often have limited access to specialists, forcing patients to travel to cities for consultations that may last only a few minutes.

Telemedicine can significantly reduce these burdens.

Virtual consultations allow physicians to review symptoms, adjust medications, monitor progress, and advise patients without requiring unnecessary travel.

The elderly also stand to benefit considerably from telemedicine. Many older adults face mobility challenges, while individuals recovering from surgery or living with disabilities can receive consultations from physicians in the comfort of their homes. This is more than a matter of convenience; it can be transformative.

Parents caring for young children would also benefit from easier access to medical advice. Instead of waiting hours in busy clinics for minor illnesses, they could receive professional guidance promptly while avoiding unnecessary exposure to infectious diseases in crowded healthcare facilities.

Telemedicine does not replace hospitals or emergency departments. Rather, it complements them by ensuring healthcare resources are used more efficiently. Patients requiring urgent physical examinations, imaging, or surgery can still be referred appropriately, while those with less complex concerns receive timely remote advice.

Despite the current challenges, there are encouraging signs that the digital health sector continues to evolve.

A new generation of entrepreneurs is developing more comprehensive healthcare applications designed to extend far beyond simple telephone consultations. These emerging platforms envision healthcare that comes directly to patients rather than requiring every patient to travel to healthcare facilities.

Some of these services seek to allow patients to consult physicians remotely while also arranging home visits for laboratory sample collection. Blood tests and other diagnostic samples could be collected in patients' homes, reducing inconvenience while expanding access to essential diagnostic services.

Others hope to integrate specialist consultations into their platforms, enabling patients to seek expert opinions from cardiologists, endocrinologists, paediatricians, psychiatrists, dermatologists, and other specialists without extensive travel. Such innovations could prove especially valuable for patients living outside urban centres where specialist services remain limited.

Perhaps most importantly, these innovations have the potential to improve care for bedridden patients.

Individuals recovering from serious illnesses, those living with disabilities, or patients receiving long-term home care often face tremendous difficulty reaching hospitals. Every hospital visit may require hiring an ambulance or arranging specialised transportation, creating significant financial and logistical burdens for families already coping with illness.

Bringing healthcare closer to these patients could substantially improve both their quality of life and continuity of care.

The economic benefits extend beyond individual households. Reducing unnecessary hospital visits can ease congestion within healthcare facilities, allowing physicians to devote more attention to critically ill patients who require in-person treatment. It also lowers transportation costs, reduces time lost to travel, and may improve overall efficiency within the healthcare system.

Yet none of these ambitions will become reality if healthcare professionals are not treated as valued partners.

Sustainable telemedicine requires business models that fairly compensate physicians, transparent payment systems, ethical management practices, strong patient privacy protections, reliable technology, and regulatory oversight that safeguards both patients and healthcare providers. Success depends not only on innovative software but also on trust.

Telemedicine should never become a race to provide the cheapest consultation. It should become a means of delivering smarter, more accessible, and more equitable healthcare.

The future of healthcare will almost certainly include digital medicine. The only remaining question is whether the country will build a system that values both the patient seeking care and the physician providing it.

If that balance can be achieved, telemedicine may yet fulfill the promise that first inspired its arrival: bringing quality healthcare within reach of every citizen, regardless of distance, mobility, or circumstance.

PUBLISHED ON Jul 18,2026 [ VOL 27 , NO 1368]