By: Getahun Tsegaye
Staff Reporter
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — Medical professionals across Ethiopia are taking a rare and increasingly bold stance, calling for immediate government response to their long-standing grievances. The Ethiopian Health Professionals Association (EHPA) has issued a firm appeal for “genuine answers” to the worsening conditions faced by the country’s healthcare workers.
In a pre-strike demonstration held this week in hospitals and medical institutions nationwide, Ethiopian doctors and other health workers launched a countdown toward an official strike, demanding fair wages, professional incentives, and a solution to deteriorating working conditions. Banners displayed during demonstrations at St. Paul’s Medical College in Addis Ababa on May 6 bore slogans such as “Silence is no longer an option!” and “Enough with the burden! We need urgent solutions!”
Behind these protests lies a deepening healthcare crisis in Ethiopia, where the average salary for a doctor ranges from 12,000 to 13,000 Ethiopian Birr — roughly $90 to $100 per month. This is starkly out of step with the country’s rising cost of living.
A sub-specialist at Dessie Referral Hospital, speaking anonymously to Borkena, described the situation as dire. “I’m paid 13,000 birr after tax. That’s around $100 a month,” he said. “It’s like a noose around my neck. I can’t even cover the basics. I had to pull my children out of private school. Now, I struggle to even provide food and rent.”
Another resident doctor at Addis Ababa’s Black Lion Hospital echoed the same concerns. “I take home about 12,000 birr. Living in this city on that salary is unthinkable. Four of us are sharing a single-room home for 8,000 birr just to make it work,” he explained. “We are simply asking the government to listen to our legitimate demands.”
The gravity of the situation is compounded by Ethiopia’s severe shortage of healthcare workers. According to the World Health Organization, Ethiopia has approximately 0.76 physicians per 10,000 people — far below the WHO’s recommended threshold of 1 per 1,000. This means one doctor may be responsible for over 13,000 patients, a staggering and unsustainable ratio in any healthcare setting.
In a statement released Tuesday, EHPA underscored that doctors’ questions are “legitimate and urgent,” and that the government should respond before the issue escalates into a nationwide health emergency. “Health professionals have raised these demands multiple times through legal channels, including communications with the Ministry of Health,” EHPA said. “Yet no timely or appropriate responses have been provided. As a result, health professionals are now expressing their voices through other means.”
The Association emphasized that their movement is not politically affiliated. “We must make it absolutely clear to the Ethiopian people — our demands are professional, not political. We are not connected with any political or activist group,” the EHPA said.
Meanwhile, reports have surfaced of three general practitioners from Agaro General Hospital — Dr. Alazar Kebede, Dr. Adamu Damtew, and Dr. Geda Sh. Hussen — being detained by police after sharing photos in support of the protest which Borkena’s attempt to independently verify was unsuccessful.
The Ministry of Health has acknowledged the protests and stated it is working on solutions. Public Relations and Health Communication Director Dr. Tagene Regasa told local media that the ministry is drafting “short, medium, and long-term plans to address the professionals’ concerns,” including non-salary incentives for healthcare workers. However, many in the medical community remain skeptical, citing years of unfulfilled promises and minimal engagement.
“Ethiopia’s healthcare system is already strained by underfunding, brain drain, and ongoing humanitarian challenges, including conflict-related displacement and frequent disease outbreaks. If the current impasse is not resolved soon, many fear the country’s fragile health infrastructure could collapse under the pressure,” Markos [name changed upon request for safety reasons], a medical professional working for the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia told Borkena anonymously.
“We are not asking for luxury — just to live with dignity while serving the public,” one demonstrator at St. Paul’s Medical College said.
Unless a meaningful response comes within the coming days, Ethiopia could be facing a nationwide medical strike — and a health crisis that may spiral beyond control.
__
Subscribe : https://borkena.com/subscribe-borkena/
Join our Telegram Channel : t.me/borkena
Like borkena on Facebook
Add your business to Ethiopian Business Listing / Ethiopian Business Directory Business Listing Toronto
Join the conversation. Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter) @zborkena to get the latest Ethiopian News updates regularly. Subscribe to YouTube channel To share information or for submission, send e-mail to info@borkena.com
‘ታላቅ የምሥራች’:- Ethiopia is a Collective Responsibility! NOT Abiy’s ONLY!!!
1). No Winner Crisis: It is sad that MDs run in to such grave livelihood crisis. Yet, it is not in any regime’s interest to let such livelihood crisis degenerate any further either.
2). The Silver Lining: Ethiopia offers FREE education to all! Med Schools offer more than other faculties: free lodging; free meals; free training; free uniforms, etc. [NB: In the West, MDs & Engineers are among the worst drowned in student debt!]
3). Real Estate Rent Gouging: The government should have looked in to who the REAL OWNERS of apartment buildings are. Few families & their proxies are fuelling all this!
4). Permanent Solutions Need Collective Effort:
i). Two free meals with snacks & beverages for ALL hospital/clinic staff [on all shifts]!
ii). Give public hospitals/clinics free buses/minibuses for staff transport to-and-from work.
iii), Highly Subsidized Housing Complexes: Even some rotten good-looking enterprises like the Ethiopian Airlines have built “Ethiopian Airlines Village” apartment complexes.
iv). Task each city/town/village with building highly subsidized housing for medical professionals, army, police, fire fighters, teachers, judges/DAs, public servants, etc.
v). Joint-Venture Housing Complexes: Accelerate government-subsidized housing availability by partnering with entrepreneurs [WITH government buy-back option].