The United States handed over more than USD $4 million (approximately 115 million ETB) worth of new medical equipment and medicines to the Ministry of Health for use in hospitals and health centers in the regional states of Afar, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella, and Somali.

The equipment was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID’s) Transform Health in Developing Regions activity and includes mobile ultrasound machines, incubators, and heating stations to keep newborns warm after birth. The project will also train Ethiopian health center staff on how to properly use and maintain the new equipment. In addition, USAID provided medicines to treat respiratory disease syndrome in newborns, obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, and other health problems. As a result, health centers in rural areas of the country will be able to improve childbirth delivery services and basic healthcare for mothers and children.

USAID Deputy Mission Director Alicia Dinerstein remarked, “We hope this is a catalytic investment that will increase the quality of – and demand for – health services, and enable providers to better meet the needs of their communities.”

U.S. development programs like the USAID Transform Health in Developing Regions program invest in the capacity of Ethiopian institutions and the Ethiopian people to address their own needs and become stronger partners. The United States is the largest bilateral donor to Ethiopia’s health sector, with approximately USD $150 million per year in funding for HIV/AIDS; malaria; maternal, neonatal and child health; nutrition; tuberculosis; and water, sanitation and hygiene. Overall, the United States has provided approximately $4 billion in development and humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia over the past five years.