Ethiopia has a population of more than 110 million people, and shortages of medicines remain a key challenge for healthcare. Instability and conflict make access to medicines very difficult, while affordability is a major issue. The country’s growing population coupled with economic challenges means the burden of diseases looks set to increase.  
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Our partner Project Hope recently distributed our medicines across several health facilities. Conflict in the Amhara regions has seen about 37,500 people become displaced internally, including more than 3,600 children, some 600 breastfeeding mothers, and more than 500 people who are elderly or disabled. Through Project Hope, we sent Essential Health Pack medicines to Sekota Hospital, Ziquala Hospital and Amide-work Hospital for outpatient use. Around 5,000 people received these, without having to pay.  


One man, aged 44, needed to get a supply of hypertensive medicines, and at Sekota Hospital he was given amilodipine to control his blood pressure. “Now I am in good condition,” he said. Another man, aged 38, came from a town that is now under occupation. He suffers from diabetes and went to Sekota Hospital, where he received the diabetes medicine metformin hydrochloride. “I am in a very good condition and working strongly with good energy,” he told us.” A third man, aged 45, who came to Sekota Hospital with a cough was diagnosed with pneumonia, he was given the antibiotic azithromycin.  

Adults and children were treated with our medicines for a range of conditions including acute respiratory infections and gastroenteritis, skin infections, bacterial conjunctivitis, scabies, HIV-related infections and joint pains. The deputy head of the Waghimra zone’s health department told us how important our medicines are in treating commonly occurring communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as intestinal worms.