Ministry Designates Addis Abeba Hospitals for Health Infrastructure Repair in North

Dec 19 , 2021. By SAMUEL BOGALE ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )

Nearly a dozen public hospitals in Addis Abeba have been placed in charge of restoration works for health centres located in the Amhara and Afar regional states, where war has destroyed medical infrastructure in the north.

Eleven of these hospitals will each be paired with one public hospital in the affected areas, following an order from the Ministry of Health officials last month.

St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College has been assigned to help with the restoration works of Dessie Hospital, while Eka Kotebe Hospital has been paired with Hayk Hospital in Wello, 427Km north of the capital. In operational for three years, Hayk saw extensive looting and destruction. Eka Kotebe Hospital has sent medicine, equipment and health workers, including carpenters and electricians, to aid in restoration works.

“It'll hopefully begin providing services in less than a week,” said Yared Agidew (MD), general manager of Eka Kotebe Hospital.

Tirunesh Beijing and Ras Desta hospitals are responsible for the restoration works at Kemise and Debre Sina hospitals, respectively, in the Amhara region. Amanuel Mental Hospital will give psychological and mental health service assistance to all other hospitals.

These health centres and hospitals will also be responsible for transporting the required materials and personnel.

Dessie Hospital, an eight-decade old health facility, has provided services to around half a million patients annually from surrounding areas and Tigray and Afar regional states. According to officials at the Ministry, the hospital's equipment, such as laboratory machinery, has been mostly looted or destroyed.

Following the latest initiative, St. Paul’s Hospital had sent specialists, nurses and other medical staff with equipment and medicine to Dessie Hospital, according to Lidya Tefera (MD), a medical service vice-provost at St. Paul’s Hospital.

“We're trying our best to play a meaningful role in the restoration,” said Lidya.

Other hospitals, including Menelik II Hospital, are also sending equipment and personnel to designated health centres in the north.

Menelik II Hospital has been paired with Mehal Meda Hospital and has delivered equipment worth six million Birr. The equipment will help Mehal Meda Hospital resume services, including midwifery and delivery as well as childcare and surgery, according to Tadesse Habteyohannes (MD), general manager of the Hospital.

The Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Agency announced that 2.6 billion Br worth of medicines were looted or destroyed in Dessie. It provides services to over 8.5 million people in Dessie and the surrounding areas. The damage has meant that several health facilities are running out of medicines, with 29 hospitals out of stock, according to Eshete Shume, manager of the Agency's Dessie branch.

All health professionals will have to serve for two months as part of the emergency restoration efforts.

PUBLISHED ON Dec 19,2021 [ VOL 22 , NO 1129]

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