A group 105 doctors and nurses, many of them members of the
Ethiopian diaspora in North America, are this week travelling to
Ethiopia to provide vital medical care in four hospitals in the
capital, Addis Ababa. They will also share their knowledge with
local health care professionals.

A group of 38 health care professionals, members of Operation
Heart Beat, composed of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists and
including members of the Friends of Ethiopia group, have already
arrived in the country with state-of-the-art medical equipment.

A second group of 67 medics, members of the Ethiopian North
American Health Professionals Association (ENAHPA), will be
travelling to Ethiopia later this week.

"These doctors, nurses and other medical professionals are
participating in IOM's Migration for Development in Ethiopia or
MIDEth programme, a capacity-building initiative aimed at
strengthening the government's institutional capacities to address
some of this country's acute human resources constraints," explains
Charles Kwenin, IOM's Chief of Mission in Addis Ababa.

The medics will deliver specialized health services, including
cardiac surgery, pacemaker implants, oral and maxillofacial and
reconstructive surgery, neurosurgery, ENT surgery and
tele-ophthalmology.

The mission will not only reach hundreds of Ethiopians with
state-of-the-art medical services, but will also assist the
country's health sector professionals with hands-on training that
will improve the standard of health care in major Ethiopian
hospitals.

IOM's MidEth programme also extends beyond the health sector.
Later this month two professors will travel to Ethiopia to teach at
Addis Ababa University.  One, a business professor, will
remain in the country for three months. The other, an information
technology specialist, will lead a one-month seminar for PhD
students. 

IT specialist Dr. Nega Gebreyesus, a senior manager at a US
Government agency, says that he always wanted to take part in a
knowledge transfer scheme between the Ethiopian diaspora and his
country of origin. "The flexible and short-term nature of this
programme works well with my work and family
responsibilities.  These short-term trips can be complemented
by remote technology-based engagements," he says.

IOM is working with the Government of Ethiopia (the Expatriates
Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of
Capacity Building and Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development), with financial support from the UN Development
Programme (UNDP), to provide travel and other assistance to the
experts, who are all based in the USA and Canada.

Ethiopian Airlines is also supporting the initiative, providing
discounted airfares and bigger baggage allowances to transport some
of the medical equipment.

For more information please contact:

Charles Kwenin

IOM Addis Abba

Tel: +251.115511673

E-mail:  "mailto:ckwenin@iom.int">ckwenin@iom.int