Rehabilitation of the Abala and Adwa hospitals in Ethiopia

Following two years of conflict in northern Ethiopia, mainly affecting the regions of Tigray, Amhara and Afar, many of the health facilities have been looted or destroyed. At the same time, and due to the conflict, there is a growing need for healthcare which cannot be fully covered. To help these particularly vulnerable communities recover, stabilisation efforts are needed in the health sector.

It is essential to rehabilitate and equip key health facilities in the Tigray and Afar regions. Abala Hospital, located in the northern part of the Afar region, is a primary care facility covering the needs of about 85,000 people. Adwa Hospital, located in the centre of the Tigray region, mainly provides secondary healthcare services for 1.2 million people.

Following the conflict, these two hospitals were operating at less than 50% of their capacity. After being occupied by armed groups for more than six months, various items of equipment had been damaged or stolen. Needs have also been identified for water supply and waste management.

This project to rehabilitate the hospitals of Abala and Adwa has been entrusted to Expertise France in response to a request from the Ethiopian Ministry of Health. The objective of the project is to restore access to essential services. This will help stabilise the two regions and assist the communities with their post-crisis transition. It also includes capacity building for hospital staff to improve the quality of care.

In addition to works to clean and paint the facilities, the rehabilitation will mainly focus on renovating the solid and liquid waste management systems and improvingelectrical installations. In Abala Hospital, the water supply system, which was damaged during the conflict, will also be rehabilitated.

This project is responsive to the voices of women, young people, marginalised groups, and people with disabilities. It aims to strengthen the resilience of both the facilities and communities in northern Ethiopia, by laying the foundations for reconstruction and reconciliation in the region.