There are many obstacles to residents accquiring proper health care in Ethiopia. It is roughly calculated that 76 percent of Ethiopian women live in rural areas and do not have the permission to health care due to long traveling distances with lack of transportation.
Therefore, there is a great need for proper health care in Ethiopia when disease is accountable for 74 percent of deaths.
Under the new program, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will work with the Ministry of Health to nourish the policy and financing reforms that allow public and private entities to better provide primary health services while decreasing out-of-pocket expenses for Ethiopians.
Over the next five years, the new program will focus and aim on mobilizing and organizing increased domestic resources and smoothening medical insurance schemes to boost coverage to millions more people.
The project will also work with public and private healthcare providers to better use resources and revenues to finance their services.
USAID Mission Director, Leslie Reed, stated, “We look forward to continuing our joint work to understand the challenges and problems facing health financing as part of overall efforts to build a truly sustainable and strong health system in Ethiopia. Together, we can show other developing countries around the world that with the right political will and dedication, it is possible to lay the promising foundation to a self-reliant healthcare system, which is capable of providing high-quality health services to all citizens in every corner of the country.”
U.S. development programs like the Health Financing Improvement program invest in the capacity of Ethiopian institutions and the Ethiopian people to address and serve their own needs and become stronger partners.
The United States is the largest bilateral donor to Ethiopia’s health sector, with over USD $150 million per year in funding for HIV/AIDS; malaria; maternal, neonatal and child health; nutrition; tuberculosis; and water, sanitation and hygiene.
Overall, the United States has provided and served over $4 billion in development and humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia over the past five years.
USAID’s Health Financing Improvement Program builds upon the successes of earlier investments like USAID’s community-based health insurance responsibility, which at present provides medical coverage to nearly 20 million Ethiopians nationwide.
