PRI: Public Radio International

Ethiopia moving to address doctor shortage; critics say corners being cut

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 10:59:00 -0600

Ethiopia has struggled with a shortage of qualified doctors for years. In an effort to resolve that, it's vastly increased the sizes of existing classes and opened 13 new schools. But critics say Ethiopia is training a generation of woefully unqualified doctors.

Alem

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:43:08 -0600

Dr. Tedros Adhanom is a good guy but not necessarily good at resolving the nation's pressing issue. That is, not just shortage but retention of doctors. What PRI, BBC, etc, never could understand is how power is structured in Ethiopia. Dr. Adhanom is member of the ruling ethnic minority and has done a lot to whitewash the crises in public health by providing stats and charts that did not reflect reality on the ground. President Bush praised him, Yale awarded Lectureship, etc; none checked their facts for doing so. Obviously, Ethiopians have no way of telling the world the condition they are in. The government has made it virtually wiped out private press. Many journalists are either exiled or jailed. The late prime minister's wife is in charge of HIV/AIDS program and reports have to be endorsed by her. I dare PRI to send one of its reporters to do some real investigative journalism and see if he or she will not be arrested and/or sent packing within 24hrs. If you don't believe this ask VOA's Peter Heinlein and Marthe Van Der Wolf. Unfortunately [for Ethiopia], Dr. Adhanom is now the foreign minister without ever having any training or experience in diplomacy; this was possible only because he is ethnically from the ruling party!

Alem

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:45:14 -0600

If you feel unsafe to travel to Ethiopia, there are more than 600 physicians in the Chicago area you can interview as to why they would not want to serve their own country.

Anonymus

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:12:55 -0600

Jimma Medical School started from scratch. I remember a friend telling me how 50 of them were crowded in one big hall. There was barely anything in that place when the medical school started back in early 80s. One day a hyena crossed them by when they returned from the library to their dorm after a long night of study...it was that remote. Today Jimma University is a leading health institution and its graduates are practicing cutting edge medicine in America/Canada and some even in Europe. You have got to start somewhere. To me the problem is the lack of interest by the government to keep its physicians at home through different incentives. Give then loans when they graduate to buy a house/car. Treat them like adults. It's becoming increasingly difficult if not impossible to get to the US medical system. If it's easier at home most would choose to stay. I also hear that some physicicians in US are getting together to give back...create conditions to bring them back home. At the end physicians are not stupid. Respect human rights. Create free elections. Empower people. Then Ethiopia will be different.

Ras Mitat

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 04:30:39 -0600

Funny how article omits how the West gives Africa aid, but takes twice as much in poaching talent...Africa's brain drain has more to do with finance, than politics. There are more African trained doctors and nurses working in British and U.S. hospitals, than in their native country.

Ras Mitat

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 04:43:04 -0600

Alem, FYI: If the late Prime Minister's wife you hate was indeed, as you say, in-charge of HIV/AIDS program, then she needs an award...UN just announced 10 year Ethiopia study with HIV infection rates down 90%!!!

Hakimu

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 06:51:00 -0600

I wish I know who the hell mentioned the 600+ Ethiopian Doctors in Chicago area crap for the first time. It is just wrong. if he/she is referring to the total practising physicians in the US, that probably is clese enough. I know Chicago, I lived in Chicago and even better I am a practising physician myself. Please do not confuse the public.
Back to Dr Teodros's assertion that first we have to start with what we have...I couldn't agree more. Start somewhere and work on your deficiencies. The history of Indiam medical education is not different from ours.

Hagos

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 09:12:09 -0600

Talk is cheap! Atleast he is doing something.

Desta

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 10:18:44 -0600

Tewdros Adhanom is polishing the image of a brutal fascist regime in Ethiopia. As long as they loot the country they don't care about the country. The western governments are responsible for the bad situation Ethiopia is in.This regime is fianced,its killers are trained by the tax payers of the west. Tewdros and company will one day pay a huge price for their crime against non tigrean Ethiopians.

Sam

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 16:52:34 -0600

@Alem If you don't have anything to offer beside some racist Nazi propaganda, please keep it to yourself....your type has no place in any civilized world...your type belongs to be sequestered away from all societies.

The Truth

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 07:19:16 -0600

More doctors move to developed world because of economic reason, pure and simple lets us not cheat ourselves. The most popular way to stay in country like US whether you are high school drop out or doctor is to claim you are persecuted in your country and need a political asylum. You see, reforming the immigration asylum policy would do a lot good not only to United States to the but also to the rest of the world.

Alem

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:07:47 -0600

Under the cover of darkness government cadres are out in numbers and howling. Sam is talking up Nazi; Hakimu is a walking statistician; Ras Mitat has spotted hate in my comment that the late Prime Minister's wife knows enough of deceit to not allow verification by an independent group of doctored reports fed to donors. I thought that was only a fair thing to ask.

Ene

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 23:27:26 -0600

The quality of doctors is already attrocious. That and retention of quality doctors needs to be addressed first. The gov is churning out unqualified doctors for purely statistical reasons (fooling donors who like to be fooled)

dr who

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 15:58:25 -0600

As a practicing physician inEthiopia Facts:
1. the effort to increase the number of docs is really good, and honestly even in addis ababa there is a shortage of doctors ..........'some' if not most, higher clinics have nurses and HOs posing and doing as doctors
2. Physicians salary , considering they don't spend a dime, would have to save for 8-10 yrs to buy the smallest 2nd hand car. And will have to save 5-7 times more to get a small house!!mind you all this is considering the salary remains untouched and saved- no expenditure
3. A doctor has to serve 3-5 years for the govt without any significant pay raise, and if he specializes has to serve additional 6-8 yrs plus years left not served in the beginning!!
4. According to BPR a doctor is expected to be available in the hospital no matter what, even if he had to persue a private after hour jobs and he has no real purpose in the hospital

And Ethiopia doctors are blamed for leaving the country...............a big joke!!