Ethiopia: Doctors’ Imprisonment Over Unpaid Wages Unacceptable

Ethiopia

The arrest of medical doctors in Ethiopia for requesting payment due for their services indicates a serious concern for rights violations.

Development Diaries reports that doctors in some regions in Ethiopia have been imprisoned for demanding unpaid wages, with the Ethiopian Medical Association (EMA) warning that health professionals are working under ‘many pressures’ while their concerns remain unaddressed.

We understand that there have been several instances where medical professionals faced problems related to unpaid wages in different parts of the country in recent times, leading to strikes.

In October 2023, healthcare workers in the East Badawacho district, Hadiya Zone, stopped work due to three months of unpaid salaries, leading to temporary closures of local public services.

Also, in August 2024, over 300 staff members at Shone Primary Hospital in the same zone went on strike after two months of salary delays.

Hospital officials confirmed financial constraints at the district level, with some employees refusing partial payments out of concern they would not receive their full wages.

More recently, on December 18, 2024, the only primary hospital in Kamba district, Gamo Zone, faced a severe shortage of medical professionals after staff resigned due to unpaid salaries.

The refusal to fully pay doctors and other health workers their wages goes against the Ethiopian Labour laws as stipulated in section 12 of the Labour Proclamation No.1156-2019.

Access to health care services is very limited in Ethiopia, and in many rural areas, it is virtually nonexistent.

Data from BMC Health Services Research shows that there is just one hospital for 564,173 people, and one physician for 32,132 people in the country.

The importance of doctors and other health workers to the country’s healthcare for the well-being of citizens cannot be overemphasised.

Development Diaries call on the government of Ethiopia to ensure doctors and other health workers in the country are paid their wages as stipulated in their employment agreement.

We also urge the government to increase its budget for the health sector, as this will help provide the much-needed infrastructure to make healthcare services more accessible to Ethiopians.

Photo source: Dr. Sserunjogi Emma

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