An Inauguration ceremony for a project aiming to improve the condition of the inpatient wards at the Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital in Bahir Dar, Amhara National Regional State, took place on 4 February 2012. The project was funded by the Japanese government through its Grant in-aid-scheme for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), amounting to USD 113,208, and was implemented by the Felefe Hiwot Referral Hospital.  Mr. Hajime Kitaoka, Minister of the Embassy of Japan in Ethiopia, celebrated the completion of the project, together with Ato Andargie Atenaf, C.E.O. of the Felefe Hiwot Referral Hospital, Bahir Dar representatives of Municipality office, as well as members of the community.

In Ethiopia, many medical institutions are invariable dilapidated and ill-equipped.  Even at the Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, one of the core hospitals in the region, its medical facilities are in a state of disrepair and need urgent improvement.  In particular, beds are in short supply, and every day, about 30 patients are forced to lie on mattresses, stretchers or even just cloth on the floor as substitutes for proper medical beds.  There are six inpatient wards in the hospital with 350 beds in total.  However, 30 of these are not usable and another 90 beds are in use but are in very poor condition.  By providing 120 refurbished Japanese hospital beds, this project will improve the hospital’s capacity to treat inpatients.

This project also aims to enhance a health project being conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with the Amhara Regional Health Bureau, namely the “Amhara Regional Infectious Disease Surveillance (AmRids).”  This project aims to strengthen the disease surveillance scheme in the Region.  It also aims to establish a referral system in which patients are referred from local health units to one of the referral hospitals for major operations and intensive care.

Mr. Hajime Kitaoka, in his speech at the inauguration ceremony, expressed his profound gratitude to the Overseas Medical Facilities Assistance Association,a Japanese Non-Profit Organization which proposed the project and shipped the beds to Bahir Dar.  He further stated his sincere wish that through these projects, health conditions for 200,000 citizens of Bahir Dar and its vicinity would improve and unnecessary deaths from various diseases would be prevented.

Since 1997, the Embassy of Japan in Ethiopia has supported over 300 Grassroots Human Security Projects throughout Ethiopia, in education, water supply, agriculture, health and other areas of basic human needs.  The Government of Japan will continue to support a variety of projects at the grassroots level for marginalized and vulnerable people in Ethiopia.