Ethiopia News

After two years and 10 months of leading the World Health Organization’s programme in Ethiopia, WHO Representative (WR), Dr Pierre M’pele-Kilebou, has completed his mission and moved on to Cotonou, Benin. 

Ethiopia launched its ambitious five-year Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP) at the opening of the 17th Annual Review Meeting of the Health Sector that was in session 28 October 2015 in Adama Town. 
Explaining the ambitious goals of the HSTP, Dr. Kesetebirhan Admasu, Minister of Health Ethiopia, said, “It took us over 25 years to reduce child mortality by 70% and maternal death by 75%; now we are aiming to halve child and maternal death in the next five years.”

WHO has been providing health and nutritional support to communities affected by health impact of increasing food insecurity and malnutrition in Sitti zone of Somali Regional State. Failure of rain for two consecutive seasons in many parts of the country is caused by the global El Niño phenomenon, resulting in a slow onset of natural disaster, according to a joint statement by His Excellency Mitiku Kassa, Secretary of the National Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Committee and Mr. John Aylieff, Acting Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia.

Increasing reports of communicable diseases and presence of a large number of refugees from south Sudan heightened the need for  strengthened public health emergency preparedness  and response  in Gembella Region.

“WHO commits again as a partner to ensure working together to improve  the health situation of people of Gambella and hundred thousands of refugees from South Sudan” said Dr. Pierre M’Pele-Kilebou, WHO Representative to Ethiopia as he handed over Emergency Health Kits to Gambella  Regional Health Bureau (RHB) .

The Hydrotherapy Center established at the Cheshire Services Ethiopia, and which is the first in its kind in Ethiopia was inaugurated in the presence of WHO Representative, Dr. Pierre M'Pele-Kilebou, donors and contributors to the center, guest Rotarians from the USA and Canada, and other polio partners on Monday, 5 October 2015.  Unveiling was done by W/ro Mintwab Abebe, widow of Mr Nahusenay Araya, former District Governor (DG) of Rotary Club.

Rotarians from the USA and Canada paid  a courtesy visit to WHO Ethiopia on 6 October  2015, and were warmly welcomed  in a traditional coffee ceremony. The team also met and interacted with the staff of WHO Ethiopia Country Office Expanded Program on Immunization Team.

World Polio Day (WPD) was commemorated on 24 October 2015 at Addis Ababa National Assembly Hall in the presence of the Ethiopian Government, partners: WHO, UNICEF, USAID, and Rotary International and allies CCRDA/ CORE Group. This celebration inspired attendees and viewers to join the Polio eradication effort as Ethiopia is near the finish line: 2018.

ADDIS ABABA, 23 October 2015 | Marking the occasion of World Polio Day 2015, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Rotary International, jointly reaffirm their commitment to ensure Ethiopia joins all countries in a polio-free world by 2018 – the global target for polio eradication world-wide. 

The 17th Sub-National Immunization Days werelaunched on 8 October 2015 at Shinille Town of Somali Region. Present at the launching were Acting Head of the Somali Regional Health Bureau Mr Abdulfatah Said, Rotary National Polio Plus (NPPC) Chair DR Tadesse Alemu, Past District Governer (PDG) Mr Ezra Teshome, members of the visiting Rotary International team from the USA and Canada, government officials, WHO Representative Dr 

Capital, a weekly business newspaper, interviewed Dr Pierre M'pele-Kilebou, WHO Representative in Ethiopia, on the ongoing efforts towards polio eradication in Africa. Click on the link below to read the interview.