Health hiccup - Is the gov't doing enough for the sector?

By Tedla Yeneakal

Mesfin Zewdie, 28, a young high school teacher was forced to make his way to Addis Ababa two weeks ago, from his home town Debre Tabor, traveling some 750 km by bus, desperately seeking treatment at the only full-fledged referral hospital in the country, the Black Lion Hospital.
He is amongst the thousands of Ethiopians, who have been affected by one of the world's oldest infectious diseases, still killing more than half a million people every year in Africa . People with HIV easily contract tuberculosis infections because of their weakened immune systems.

However, Mesfin's case differed as he tested negative for HIV but has been a victim of the inadequacy of medical personnel in the country.
Mesfin says, he had been to the Black Lion hospital five times during the past two weeks but was unable to see a medical doctor as he was told that both the emergency and the regular medical out patient department (OPD) units are overloaded.
"I am unable to be admitted to the hospital and I am feeling weaker by the day," Mesfin said in a feeble voice, "had it not been for my uncle living here, I could have passed away by now since I can not afford to stay in a hotel in the city."
Medical doctors say, people with healthy immune systems recover easily from primary tuberculosis infection, if treated on the spot with only a 10% chance of re-developing tuberculosis in their lifetime.

Mesfin's encounter is very common in the country as there are a small number of hospitals; all characterized by acute shortage of doctors and qualified nurses coupled with inadequate medical supplies.
Though government affirms that services have improved in the past years, however, medical personnel and doctors are very dissatisfied with the lack of priority given to the sector.

Recently, more than 250 frustrated medical doctors met with the relevant government officials, the Minister of Capacity Building, Tefera Walewa and Minister of Health, Tewodros Adehanom, to voice their concerns and expectations from the government.
Though the medical professionals met the government officials twice, both ended with utter dissatisfaction. Their demand ranged from a better salary pay to receiving their academic credentials.
"I have worked very hard to obtain my degree and expect to get my academic credentials, not as a favor from the government but as a right," complained a fresh graduate doctor, upset over the response from government officials. "I do not expect a government official to tell me that the health sector is not a profitable one forcing us to linger with a low income."
The young doctors, who all refrained from telling their names, revealed their disappointment with Minister Tefera's response, whom they quoted as saying, "health institutes are not profitable sectors unlike corporations such as the Ethiopian Telecommunications."
Moreover the doctors expressed that they sympathize with people like Mesfin but are absolutely discouraged by the lack of support from the government.

According to the African Regional Health Report released recently, the general government expenditure on health in the year 2003 as percentage of the total government expenditure is at 9.6%.
Doctors frustrated with the health policy of the government urge for an increase in expenditure comparable to that of the spending on the military which is rather exorbitant.
"How can you stop or reduce the brain drain by holding our credentials as guarantee and still paying us a very low salary," complained another young doctor, who recently started working at the Black Lion Hospital . "You can't force a doctor to examine a patient, it is absolutely absurd."
In a country that lingers at the bottom in World Health Organization (WHO) rankings in terms of health ratios with one doctor for every 40,000 people and one nurse for every 8,000 people, the government's adamant health policy will ultimately put the country in imminent danger.
"How do you expect other youngsters to join health studies, when Cuban and Russian doctors are paid 15 times better for the same job," the young doctor said, "I fear the current trend will ultimately be ruining the health care of the government and will be pushed to force students to study the medical field in future."
According to official figures, fresh graduate medical doctors earn a monthly salary of 1,300 birr (less than 200 USD) and an overtime pay of 16 birr (less than 2USD) for a night long duty.