NYMC Faculty Publications

Strategic Response to COVID-19 in Ethiopia

D K. Huluka, Departments of Internal Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
A W. Ashagrie, Departments of Internal Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
T H. Gebremariam, Departments of Internal Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
H Y. Ahmed, Departments of Internal Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
R A. Kebede, Pediatrics, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
A B. Binegdie, Departments of Internal Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
K G. Gebrehiwot, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Mekele University, Mekele, Ethiopia.
M Tadesse, Department of Anesthesiology, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
M Sultan, Department of Emergency and Critical Care, St. Paul's Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
W W. Dode, Department of Emergency and Critical Care, St. Paul's Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
A A. Tumebo, Department of Emergency and Critical Care, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
A Abayneh, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Y Seman, Federal Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
T Firew, Federal Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
C B. Sherman, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
N W. Schluger, Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA.
D A. Haisch, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.

Author Type(s)

Faculty

Journal Title

Public Health Action

First Page

191

Last Page

194

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-21-2022

Department

Medicine

Abstract

COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, has posed a major threat to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to inadequate health infrastructure and human resources. Ethiopia, a low-income country with the second largest population in Africa, has coordinated a strategic response, leveraging existing infrastructure and health systems and mobilizing public health professionals and specialist expert physicians for a multifaceted, unified government approach and adaptive response. Resource limitations, particularly in critical care, have still posed challenges, but the public health and clinical interventions thus far have prevented the catastrophic toll that many predicted. As the pandemic continues, Ethiopia expects to use a triple care model integrated at all levels, consisting of COVID-19 care, isolation care for suspected cases, and essential health services, and urges intensified non-pharmaceutical interventions alongside equitable global vaccine distribution as the ultimate answers to pandemic control. This paper draws on existing data, national planning and guidelines, and expertise from health leadership to describe this response in hopes of providing an example of how future large-scale health challenges might be faced in LMICs, using Ethiopia's successes and challenges in facing the pandemic.

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