Ethiopia: Health Professionals Report Facing Threats, Intimidation As Nationwide Partial Strike Over Pay, Benefits Kicks Off

Addis Abeba– Health professionals in various parts of the country reported facing intimidation and pressure from local authorities as they attempted to observe the first day of a nationwide partial strike on Tuesday, 13 May 2025.

The strike, coordinated through a month-long campaign by health professionals, seeks adjustments in salaries, improved benefits, and better working conditions.

A staff member at Madda Walabu University (MWU) Goba Referral Hospital in Bale Zone of the Oromia region, said health workers encountered pressure from local officials as they attempted to stage the strike. “We are facing intimidation,” the professional said, adding that the hospital was “full of government officials” who had been present “since early morning.”

Another health worker from Akesta General Hospital in Akesta town, South Wello Zone of the Amhara region, reported that a doctor assigned to the Emergency Department was detained by security personnel and instructed to also manage routine patient care or “go to prison.” The source said the doctor was “returned to the hospital” after staff on duty and professionals observing the strike from home “chose to go to prison in solidarity.”

In Addis Abeba, Addis Standard visited three major public hospitals–Menelik II Referal Hospital, Zewditu Memorial Hospital, and Yekatit 12 Medical College Hospital–on the morning of 13 May to assess the implementation of the strike.

A partial work stoppage was observed across all three facilities during the morning hours, despite the resumption of work in the afternoon.

At Menelik II Hospital, patients who had obtained medical cards and registered for treatment were seen waiting in front of several departments. Though healthcare workers were present within the compound and wore their uniforms, outpatient services were not being provided in the morning.

“I came at 6:00 a.m. for an appointment,” a patient waiting outside the eye department told Addis Standard. “Staff are in uniform, walking around, but no one is attending patients.”

Another patient described being directed from one room to another before finding the doors closed. “That’s when I understood this was being done deliberately,” the patient added.

At Zewditu Memorial Hospital, patients were similarly observed waiting in queues without being attended to. Healthcare workers were visible in the compound but not engaged in regular duties. One patient said, “We’ve been here since morning, but no one has called us in.”

At Yekatit 12 Hospital, several outpatient departments were non-operational in the morning. However, essential units such as the emergency room, intensive care unit (ICU), maternity ward, and pediatric department continued functioning without interruption.

Despite the partial service disruptions, Addis Standard confirmed that inpatient, emergency, and critical care services were consistently maintained across the three hospitals.

However, during a follow-up visit in the afternoon, healthcare workers at all three facilities had resumed duties, and patients were seen receiving treatment in previously inactive departments.

The partial strike follows a coordinated online campaign under hashtags such as #HealthWorkersMatter and #PayHealthWorkersFairly, along with several pre-strike protests held across the country, raising demands that professionals say have remained unaddressed for over five years.

Multiple health professionals were previously arrested, including three doctors from Arba Minch and Yonatan Dagnew, president of the Ethiopian Health Professionals Association (EHPA), which had called on the government to swiftly respond to health workers’ calls.

In a social media post on Monday, Amnesty International urged the Ethiopian government to “immediately release Yonatan Dagnew… and others detained over the planned healthcare strike.” The organization added that authorities must “respect the right to peaceful assembly” and “stop harassing healthcare workers.”