President of Ethiopian Health Professionals Association Detained by Security Forces, Association Demands Immediate Release
Left to right : Dr. Bernabas Samuel, Dr. Yonatan Dagnachew, Dr. Habtamu Getachew , Dr. Melaku Almaw (BBC Amharic)
By: Getahun Tsegaye Staff Reporter
https://borkena.com/2025/05/12/ethiopia ... -detained/
May 12, 2025
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia- The Ethiopian Health Professionals Association (EHPA) president, Yonatan Dagnaw, was arrested by security forces on Sunday. Melese Bata, deputy President of the Association, has confirmed the news to BBC Amharic service.
Dr. Yonatan was practicing at Bichena Primary Hospital, in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, Melese added.
the EHPA stated in a statement to TIKVAH, a local media outlet calling for hisYonatan was taken from his home this morning [Sunday] by security forces,
The association expressed serious concern over what it called, an attempt to silence professional advocacy.immediate release.
the statement said.Arresting and intimidating our president and other leaders cannot silence the legitimate demands of health professionals,
EHPA also revealed that Yonatan had been summoned on Saturday under the pretext of beingWe believe the president must be released immediately so that the concerns of healthcare professionals can be addressed urgently.
but was instead detained today.wanted for questioning,
they added.His family informed us that he was taken from home, not merely questioned,
The association criticized the broader crackdown on professionals, stating:
EHPA insisted the arrest was not related to a personal matter.Is it justifiable to detain people who advocate for solutions through dialogue simply because they are healthcare professionals? No one knows who’s next, and this is our message.
Reports have also emerged that medical professionals in various regions — including Arbaminch, and Wolaita Sodo — are facing harassment and intimidation. EHPA noted thatThe president was not detained for a private issue. He was representing the association. We call on all health professionals to show solidarity with him.
In Arbaminch, the association confirmed the arrest of three doctors: Dr. Barnabas Samuel, Dr. Melaku Almaw, and Dr. Habtamu Getachew. Their families say the arrests are related to recent protests and demands by healthcare workers.health professionals in different areas are reportedly being intimidated.
However, Dr. Ambasader Duma, the Chief Executive Officer of Arba Minch General Hospital, has denied this.
Dr. Duma added that the concerns raised by the hospital’s health professionals were resolved through discussions, and emphasized,
according to a report presented by BBC Afaan Oromo as cited by Addis Neger Mereja news outlet.No one has been detained,
Earlier, Borkena reported a similar case in Agaro General Hospital, where three general practitioners — Dr. Alazar Kebede, Dr. Adamu Damtew, and Dr. Geda Sh. Hussen — were detained after posting photos in support of the protest. Independent verification efforts were unsuccessful.
EHPA has announced that from May 13–17, health centers across Ethiopia will only provide essential emergency services — including adult and pediatric emergencies, medication, labs, ICU, and emergency surgeries. However, it plans a full suspension of services nationwide starting May 18.
This development follows comments from Ethiopia’s Health Minister, Dr. Mekdes Daba, who praised structural reforms and digital health payment initiatives during a high-level policy review on March 7.
Dr. Zinabe [name changed for security reasons], a sub-specialist at Dessie Referral Hospital told Borkena.However, the current crisis reveals a growing rift between the ministry and frontline healthcare workers,
Medical professionals across Ethiopia are uniting in an unprecedented call for action, demanding urgent government intervention amid worsening conditions and economic hardship.
Earlier in May Borkena reported that spearheaded by the Ethiopian Health Professionals Association (EHPA), healthcare workers staged coordinated pre-strike demonstrations on May 6, with banners reading
andSilence is no longer an option!
signaling frustration over stagnant wages and unlivable working conditions.Enough with the burden!
With salaries for doctors hovering around 12,000 to 13,000 Birr ($90–$100 USD) monthly—grossly inadequate given soaring living costs—many describe their situation as unbearable. This discontent is further intensified by a dire shortage of healthcare staff, leaving physicians overwhelmed and healthcare delivery at risk.
The Ministry of Health has acknowledged the protests and stated it is working on solutions. Public Relations and Health Communication Director Dr. Tagene Regasa told local media that the ministry is drafting
including non-salary incentives for healthcare workers.short, medium, and long-term plans to address the professionals’ concerns,
However, many in the medical community remain skeptical, citing years of unfulfilled promises and minimal engagement.
Despite promises from the Ministry of Health to implement reforms, skepticism runs deep after years of unfulfilled commitments. The EHPA maintains that their demands are “legitimate and urgent,” and warns that continued inaction may trigger a nationwide strike.
Voices who spoke to Borkena from health professionals quarter emphasize that this isn’t about extravagance, but
Borkena reached out to the Ministry of Health to obtain its response and stance on the matter. While the Ministry initially asked to schedule a follow-up discussion, repeated attempts by Borkena to engage them were unsuccessful. As the nationwide deadline for a government response approaches, Ethiopia faces the looming threat of a full-scale medical strike, which could plunge the country into a severe public health crisis.survival and dignity.
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Photo: Boru Meda Hospital, Amhara region
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Ethiopia’s ruling party is reportedly threatening to replace striking doctors with foreigners such as from Yemen, Cuba, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar.
ኢትዮጲያ: ሀኪሞችን ከውጭ?
Taye Dendea Aredo ― እንደሰማነዉ ቄስ ሞገሴዎች የበለፀገ መንግስታቸዉ ከህክምና ባለሞያዎች አኳያ የያዘዉን እቅድ ይፋ አድርጓል። እቅዱ ኢትዮጵያዉያን ባለሞያዎች በጥያቄያቸዉ ምክንያት ስራ የሚያቆሙ ከሆነ መንግስት ከፓኪስታን፣ ከኩባ፣ ከየመንና ከሌሎች ሀገራት ሀኪሞችን እንደሚያመጣ ይገልፃል። ይሁንና ከውጭ ለሚመጡ ሀኪሞች የሚከፈለዉ ደሞዝ 10,000 ዶላር ወይም ብር እንደሆነ አንድም ቄስ ሞገሴ አልገለፀም። በዩንቨርሲቲዎቻችን ግን የኢትዮጵያ መምህራንና የውጭ መምህራን ደሞዝ ልዩነት ይታወቃል።
መሠረታዊ ጥያቄ ግን አለ። እነዚህ ሰዎች የሚንገዳደልበትን ጥይትና መሳሪያ የሚያመርቱ ዘመናዊ ፋብሪካዎችን በአጭር ግዜ መገንባታቸዉን እየነገሩን ከፈጣሪ በታች ህይወታችንን ለሚያድኑ ሀኪሞቻችን የዳቦ መግዣ መከፈል የሚቸግራቸዉ ይህ ህዝብ በጦርነት፣ በረሃብና በበቨታ ሲያልቅ ሌላ ህዝብ ከውጭ አምጥተዉ ሊያስተዳድሩ አስበዉ ይሆን እንዴ? ለነገሩ እኛ ዜጎች የባለቤትነት መብት ሳይኖረን መሬትን ለውጭ ሰዎች ለመሸጥ ኢ-ህገ-መንግስታዊ አዋጅ የተዘጋጀበት ሚስጢርም እስከ አሁን አልታወቀም። ስለዚህ ማን ያዉቃል? ግን ይህ ኢትዮጵያ ነዉና ተሳስተዋል!
