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Ethiopia,
formerly known as Abyssinia, is located in East of Africa.
Bordering countries include Eritrea in the North, Djibouti in the
North East, Somalia in the East and South East, Kenya in the South
and Sudan in the West. The total land area of the country is
1,221,480 square kilometers. The capital city of Ethiopia is Addis
Ababa, which is situated near the center of the country.
Ethiopia is located very close to the equator, weather is
generally tropical; however, temperatures vary according to the
altitude. Ethiopia has an average annual temperature of about
27°C. The lowlands are generally hot and humid while the
temperatures in the Ethiopian Highlands are cooler. The dry season
runs from October to May, while the rainy season lasts from
mid-June to mid-September.
Ethiopia is the only African country that had never been fully
colonised, the country managed to retain its unique culture. It
has its own script and language and maintains a strong sense of
national identity. Ethiopia is one of Africa’s greatest cultural
destinations, with a number of World Heritage sites. The country
is full of beautiful mountains and landscapes.
The Ministry of Health in Ethiopia is responsible for overseeing
the overall operation of the country’s healthcare system. It is
accountable for preparing, publishing and distributing the
national standards for health posts, health centers and district
hospitals in the country.
Ethiopia is a poor country and the infrastructure of the
healthcare system is weak. The Government is the main healthcare
service provider but the coverage and distribution of the
healthcare facilities among regions are uneven. There is a lack of
access to basic healthcare facilities in rural areas.
Primary healthcare in Ethiopia is provided by facilities including
health centers and health posts. In 2007/8, there were 732 health
centers and 11,446 health posts throughout the country. About 85%
of the healthcare provision is provided by public healthcare
facilities, while the remaining 15% is provided by the private
healthcare sector. Private healthcare mainly focuses in the urban
areas, where less than 15% of the population lives, as such this
sector only serves a small portion of the people in the country.
In terms of hospitals, both public and private hospitals are
available in Ethiopia. There were a total of 149 hospitals in the
country in 2007/08, among all, 40 belongs to the private sector,
while 100 are State owned and 9 are supported by non-governmental
organisations. The total expenditure that the Government spent on
healthcare in Ethiopia is around 4.3% of the country’s GDP.
Widespread diseases in Ethiopia include malaria, tuberculosis,
syphilis, gonorrhea, leprosy, dysentery, and schistosomiasis.
Infectious and communicable diseases account for about 60-80% of
the health problems in the country. The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate
is estimated at 2.1%.
The health status in Ethiopia is poor; this is mainly due to the
circulation of communicable diseases caused by poor sanitation and
nutritional deficiencies. On top of that, there is a shortage of
trained medical personnel in the healthcare system. It is advised
that travellers to obtain appropriate vaccinations and medications
prior to travelling to Ethiopia.
Medical personnel in Ethiopia receive low wages, for this reason,
the majority of them often seek out second jobs to make ends meet.
This has resulted to frequent absenteeism in medical staff. The
management is reluctant to challenge the physicians over their
frequent absences from work as well as their tendencies to take
long breaks and arrive late at work. Lower level workers have
followed the same behaviour as the physicians, leading to high
absenteeism and low productivity at all levels. Corruption exists
in the healthcare sector in Ethiopia, which involves procurement,
services and supply of goods and medicines. The lack of medical
staff and the corruption that often diverts investments that
should be going into building a more robust medical system has a
knock on effect on the healthcare system, increasing the
probability of unsatisfactory healthcare outcomes.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in comparison to
the rest of the world’s healthcare systems, Ethiopia ranked 180
out of 190 countries. The standard of the healthcare system in
Ethiopia is far below the standards generally set in western
countries. For visitors and expatriates who prefer to have a sense
of security and to ensure that medical costs will be covered in
the event of an accident or illness while travelling to Ethiopia,
purchasing a comprehensive travel insurance policy or an expat
medical insurance plan will be the best solution for you. A global
medical insurance policy that covers for medical evacuation to a
healthcare facility that can provide the necessary medical care
would be recommended.
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Globalsurance is a one-stop insurance brokerage service provider
for you when travelling to the Ethiopia. We offer a wide range of
policies to meet your individual needs, including benefits such as
dental, maternity, inpatient, outpatient, specialist
consultations, and many others. We offer a large variety of
international health insurance plans as well as travellers insurance plans.
Contact
our professional advisers today to enjoy full insurance protection
such as an Expat Health Insurance Plan for yourself and your
family.
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