Medics.Academy invests in Ethiopia’s women in healthcare

A British health tech startup focused on facilitating access to medical education worldwide has signed an agreement to help women physicians in Ethiopia. 

Partnering with the Ethiopian Medical Women’s Association (EMeWA), Medics.Academy will be investing £250,000 to build a new learning community that will provide digital access to training, with the aim of supporting 70% of female clinicians in Ethiopia over the next 5 years. 

One of Africa’s poorest nations (with 45% of the population living below the poverty line), major health concerns include maternal mortality, malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS, along with acute malnutrition and a lack of access to clean water and sanitation. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified Ethiopia as one of 57 countries with a chronic shortage of health workers, and there is a large inequality between rural and urban areas due to severe under-funding of the health sector, making access to healthcare very difficult for many. 

Ethiopia’s healthcare workforce is largely composed of women, however they face disparities when it comes to leadership positions. EMeWA was established in 2017 by women in the medical profession, to bridge the gap between opportunities and challenges faced by female physicians and women in communities.  

EMeWA’s partnership with Medics.Academy has been endorsed by the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia, and by championing access to online education, aims to drive digital transformation to help address the country’s health workforce needs, promote professional development, and achieve greater representation and leadership of women in medicine.

Dr Lia Tadesse, Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, said: “Professional development of women in healthcare is an area of priority for us in Ethiopia. Even though women make up the larger proportion in the healthcare industry, they are not visible in leadership as we want them to be due to the various challenges they face to advance their professional growth. 

“As a result, we have few women representation in places where their voice matters and their contributions are vital. This partnership will help change this by creating an innovative learning hub that will help women foster their leadership role and advance in their careers.”