Press Release
Ethiopia’s healthcare profession is in crisis. Since May 12, 2025, medical doctors and healthcare workers have gone on strike, demanding better pay, improved working conditions, and institutional support. This widespread strike has disrupted healthcare services nationwide, and many medical doctors have faced arrest for protesting their conditions. Amnesty International has called for the release of those detained by the repressive Ethiopian regime, which prioritizes detention over dialogue and invests in drones to target its own people rather than improving the living conditions of healthcare professionals.
The key issues driving the strike include low salaries for healthcare professionals, with specialist doctors earning an average of only USD 80 per month, alongside declining healthcare spending. The strike aims to secure fair wages and improved working conditions to alleviate economic hardship. The Ethiopian government’s response has included mass arrests, crackdowns, and intimidation. Security forces have detained hundreds of medical professionals across Addis Ababa, Oromia, and Amhara regions. These workers have been threatened with violence and the loss of their medical licenses and ability to work both domestically and internationally.
Using emergency decrees, the regime has forcibly conscripted striking doctors into military service, claiming they are needed for national duty. Some have reported being compelled to work in military camps under threat of imprisonment. State media has labeled striking doctors as “traitors” and accused them of “abandoning patients,” ignoring their legitimate demands.
The ongoing medical strike is not merely a labor dispute; it highlights the regime’s failures. While the ruling party may suppress protests temporarily, such actions will ultimately lead to the collapse of Ethiopia’s healthcare system and increased public anger. Prioritizing coercion over dialogue will result in more deaths, instability, and a loss of healthcare providers.
We, the undersigned organizations of the Ethiopian diaspora, stand in solidarity with Ethiopia’s White Revolution, advocating for justice, equality, and fair compensation. We support the demands of healthcare workers for better salaries, improved working conditions, and respect for their rights. Acknowledging their vital role in the nation’s development, we emphasize the importance of addressing their grievances for a dignified life.
The #WhiteRevolution symbolizes hope for a brighter future, where workers’ rights are honored, and their voices are heard. We urge the government to engage in meaningful dialogue with workers, listen to their concerns, and implement necessary reforms. Together, we can foster a more just and equitable society where every Ethiopian can thrive.
We believe that the demands and needs of health professionals cannot be adequately met as long as the government continues to divert limited resources away from health and educational services, as well as development projects, to finance state terrorism against tens of millions of its
own citizens. Instead of positively addressing the demands of medical professionals and other civic servants for better wages and working conditions, the Ethiopian government is spending billions on drones and heavy weaponry, which are used in indiscriminate attacks on its own people, particularly in the Amhara region.
We call on the international community, governments, humanitarian organizations, and international institutions to exert pressure on the Ethiopian regime to immediately release detained medical professionals and address the demands of healthcare workers before the healthcare system collapses entirely.
We Support the White Revolution and stand in solidarity with health professionals.
Signatory Organizations:
1. Abba Bahrey Forum
2. Amhara Diaspora Global Forum
3.Amhara Community Organization in the Greater Toronto Area
4. All Shewa Ethiopian People Multipurpose International Association
5. American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC)
6. Bete Amhara Wollo Worldwide Association
7. Concerned Ethiopians
8. Ethiopiawinet
9. Ethiopian American Civic Council (EACC)
10. Ethiopian Solidarity Movement (ESM)
11. Foundation for Human Rights and Development in Ethiopia (FHRDE) 12. Freedom and Justice for Telemt Amhara
13. Global Alliance for the Rights of Ethiopians
14. Global Amhara Coalition (GAC)
15. Global Ethiopian Scholars Initiatives (GESI)
16. Gojjam Global Alliance
17. Gonder Hibret for Ethiopian Unity
18. Hope for Ethiopia (H4E)
19. Network of Ethiopian Scholars (NES)
20. Vision Ethiopia (VE)
21. Welkait, Tegede, Telemt, Setit Humera Global Amhara Unity Association
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