U.S., Israel Salute Ethiopian Health Care Workers
Doctors, Nurses Complete HIV/AIDS Treatment Training

October 27, 2005
No. 50/05

Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) – On Thursday, October 27, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, Ambassador Vicki Huddleston, joined Ambassador Yaacov Amitai of Israel to salute 27 Ethiopian doctors and nurses from six regions who have successfully completed a challenging training program in the administration of lifesaving HIV treatment using anti-retroviral drugs (ART). 

Also attending the ceremony, which took place at Addis Ababa’s Zewditu Memorial Hospital, was the Ethiopian Minister of Health, Dr. Tedros Adhanom.  Joining Ambassador Huddleston from the U.S. mission in Ethiopia was Dr. Tadesse Wuhib, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Ethiopia.

The training, which was made possible by a unique partnership among the United States, Ethiopia, and Israel, took place in two rounds between March and July of 2005 in Israel at Hadassah, Sheba, and Tel Aviv Universities.  Funding for the program comes from President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the unprecedented five-year, $15 billion (over 130 billion birr) commitment by the American people to fight HIV/AIDS around the world.  Administering the program was Emergency Plan program partner I-TECH (the International Training and Education Center on HIV).

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Huddleston noted the close collaboration that was required to make this U.S. funded program a success.  She praised the anti-retroviral treatment model used in Israel, calling it “ideal for Ethiopian health care professionals to learn from and emulate,” and adding that “the ability to use the knowledge that Israel has gained in HIV treatment – including the provision of services to the Ethio-Israeli community – and, at the same time, to take advantage of the ease of travel to and from Israel, means that this program is larger, more comprehensive, and more flexible than would otherwise be possible.”  The project, which will continue, is budgeted at approximately $400,000 (over 3.4 million birr) over a period of two years.

The United States, through the President’s Emergency Plan, has supported Ethiopia with its national ART program since its inception, providing vital technical and financial assistance.  A key element has been helping to build the capacity of the Ethiopian health care system, its workers, and its infrastructure to assure the effective and safe delivery of ART in Ethiopia.

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