Tebita Ambulance and Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Services

Ethiopia is home to over 80 million people, 80 percent of whom live in rural areas without proper roads or nearby hospitals. Ethiopia also has high rates of maternal and infant mortality, with 1 in 27 women dying in pregnancy. The country’s highly fragmented emergency medical transport system means a complicated pregnancy can easily become a life-threatening situation for a woman trying to reach a hospital.

While the Addis Ababa Red Cross has 10 ambulances, their budget limits them to running only four per day, which are staffed by minimally-trained volunteers. The Ministry of Health is working to expand the country’s ambulance fleet, but there are few trained emergency medical staff. With few options, Ethiopia’s pregnant women often resort to using taxis, motorbikes, or bicycles to reach a hospital in an emergency. In rural areas, transport options are further limited to mules, horses, or being carried by neighbors and relatives. The HANSHEP Health Enterprise Fund, implemented by the SHOPS project, selected Tebita Ambulance and Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Services to receive a grant to expand the first private ambulance fleet in Ethiopia in order to fill this unmet need.

Source: USASID
Year:2015