Dr Amir Aman, Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, visited the UK in late June for the first time, and met the Minister of State for Africa at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Harriet Baldwin MP, Department for International Development (DFID) representatives, a range of NGOs and Ethiopian diaspora doctors who wish to support Ethiopia’s medical sector.

The Minister updated Ms Baldwin on Ethiopia’s health sector project improvements and thanked her for the continuing support from DFID and generally praised the support of the UK government and people.

His briefing covered achievements in maternal health and improvements in service delivery.

The Health Minister also met with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), which is renowned for its research, postgraduate studies and continuing education in public and global health. While at LSHM, he met Ethiopians who are studying health service capacity building at Masters and PhD level, such as short-term training and research in collaboration and capacity building. LSHTM has projects in Ethiopia covering the digitalisation of services with a focus on human resource development training.

The Health Minister also met with NGOs Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and Big Win, who both support health sector projects in Ethiopia especially in water and sanitation in schools and in communities.

The Minister met with a group of Ethiopian Diaspora doctors and health professionals from hospitals and universities, including highly-skilled neuro-surgeons, cardiologists and dentists and briefed them on Ethiopia’s health policy at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. The Minister outlined the current status of health in the country and invited them to participate in the health sector in person, whether by teaching, investing or linking UK hospitals with their Ethiopian counterparts.

A diaspora coordination office has been established in the Ministry of Health, to support diaspora affairs and will regularly communicate with Ethiopian Embassies around the world.