Ethiopia’s healthcare system is facing a nationwide crisis as a full-scale strike by health professionals entered its sixth day on Monday, severely disrupting services at major hospitals in Addis Abeba and regional states. The strike, organized by the Ethiopian Health Professionals Movement, has escalated into a full work stoppage, affecting outpatient care, diagnostics, and specialized units.
At hospitals such as Yekatit 12, Menelik II, and Zewditu Memorial in Addis Abeba, nearly all services apart from emergency and critical care have been halted. Patients waited outside closed wards and labs, with few staff visible and administrative offices shuttered. Similar walkouts have been reported at referral hospitals in Gondar, Asella, Goba, Fitche, and Wolkite, with medical interns, residents, and general practitioners refusing to work.
Striking professionals cite poor wages, unsafe working conditions, lack of protections, and recent detentions of colleagues as key grievances. The Ethiopian Medical Association has called for the release of arrested professionals and urged the government to address sector-wide concerns.
Despite mounting disruptions, Health Minister Dr. Mekdes Daba insisted in a televised statement that services across the country remain “uninterrupted.” She acknowledged only “limited service interruptions” at a few teaching hospitals and praised health workers still on duty. The Minister warned against what she termed “illegal efforts to disrupt” service delivery, vowing legal and disciplinary responses.
However, healthcare workers on the ground describe a different reality. A source at Madda Walabu University Goba Hospital reported that even the ICU and maternity wards are now shut, calling the situation a “complete work stoppage.” In Gondar, professionals said the hospital campus is largely deserted, and security forces have entered some facilities, contributing to a climate of fear.
As calls for dialogue grow, the standoff between healthcare professionals and the government continues to intensify. The outcome may define the future of medical labor rights and public healthcare access in Ethiopia.