Since its inception, People to People has strived to build a bridge between the diaspora and institutions in Ethiopia. Our vision has been to harness the immense human capital of the global Ethiopian diaspora to address the severe shortage of physicians, health professionals, and the medical & health infrastructure and systems.
P2P continues to facilitate and support visiting diaspora physicians and professionals who give their time in-country to give lectures, do rounds, conduct trainings, or otherwise support their peers. Through partnering of hospitals and universities in Ethiopia with their counterparts in North America, Europe, and across the globe, there is even greater potential to fill in the gaps and enhance Ethiopia’s overall healthcare system.
Twinning [noun]: the partnering of two entities with shared characteristics
to achieve a common goal through a joint exchange of
learning, ideas, information, and resources
Twinning initiatives build human and institutional capacity and help to strengthen systems. Over the years, P2P has developed partnerships and facilitated efforts with physicians and departments at many hospitals and universities, such as the University of Wisconsin, University of Kentucky, Morehouse University, and others.
Telemedicine [noun]: the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve patients’ health status
Telehealth [noun]: the provision of remote healthcare beyond merely clinical services via videoconferencing, virtual exchange portals, e-health systems, remote monitoring, e-mentoring, continuing medical education, etc.
Through virtual delivery and development of online communities of practice, information can be accessed at any time and can be shared in perpetuity. Working in close collaborations with the Federal Ministry of Health and institutional partners such as the World Bank and others, People to People is helping to fill in the gaps and support the government’s New Innovative Medical Education Initiative (NIMEI). We are committed to doing our part in building strong programs at each of the 13 new medical colleges and working strenuously to support various major hospitals and universities, including those in Addis Ababa, Jimma, Mekelle, Gondar, Bahir Dar, and more. In so doing, we are helping to save lives and to assist the country in reaching its ambitious health and development goals. The scope for expanding these activities and developing long-term systems is limitless.