Official Launch of the New Innovative Medical Education Initiative
The Ministries of Education and Health of
the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
have launched the
New Innovative Medical Education Initiative
on Saturday Tir 26 2004 (February 4th 2012)
at Ambo University.
Official Launching Ceremony
On behalf of Ambo University, the hosting institution for this Official Launching Ceremony, Ambo President Dr. Mitiku Tesso
welcomed all participants. The ceremony was attended by Their Excellencies as depicted and named above;
the Presidents and Vice Presidents of the 10 Universities and the Deans of
the 3 Hospital-based Medical Schools where the NIMEI study will be starting this month; Presidents and
Deans of the Medical Faculties of the Universities where the existing medical curriculum is taught; and stakeholders and partners in the NIMEI.
Dr. Mitiku also expressed Ambo university's readiness to start, and commitment to deliver quality education for the NIMEI curriculum.
The keynote address by H.E. Dr. Tewodros Adhanom, Minister of Health, reiterated why the NIMEI program was started: to implement
the strong increases needed in the ratio of medical doctors to the overall population. In due course a ratio of 1 per 10,000 must be achieved
and indeed surpassed.
The current medical education at Ethiopian Universities
has an intake of 2100 new medical students per year; with the NIMEI, another 1000+ new medical students will be educated per year,
with the first batch finishing their education in 4.5 years time.
The second keynote address by H.E. Ato Demeke Mekonnen, Minister of Education, stated the importance of the two Ministries
working together on the NIMEI targets, highlighted the successes of this cooperation,
and ensured the ongoing commitment of the Ministry of Education to it.
He mentioned the importance of the NIMEI curriculum being taught at the new generation of Universities,
and further emphasized the targets as expressed by H.E. Dr. Tewodros Adhanom in his address.
H.E. Donald Booth, US Ambassador to Ethiopia, confirmed to the audience the lasting commitment of the US Government to the improvement of
health care in Ethiopia, through the PEPFAR Programme (the U.S. President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief). In the framework of that
programme, the US will continue to support both the work with the extisting medical curriculum, as well as help with the implementation of the
Dr. Yodit Abraham, NIMEI Coordinator at the Federal Ministry of Health, presented an in-depth overview of the NIMEI Program:
the vision, the impact on health care, the roadmap of the curriculum development, the different components of the program
and the implementation plan for the newly established medical education institutions.
(The presentation can be accessed by clicking the button on the left hand side.)
As an example of the 13 institutions all having prepared for NIMEI and ready to start education,
Dr. Yesunhe Gizaw, Academic Vice President of Wolayita Sodo University, gave an overview of the efforts of his University.
All stakeholders then had the opportunity to ask questions and request any further clarification about NIMEI.
H.E. Dr Kebede Worku and H.E. Dr. Kaba Urgesa, State Ministers of Health and Higher Education, answered these questions.
A number of Certificates was then awarded to key drivers in the NIMEI Process by H.E. Ato Demeke.
Finally, H.E. Dr. Tewodros Adhanom and H.E. Ato Demeke Mekonnen spoke the closing words,
urging the 13 NIMEI institutions to strive hard for quality education, and officially launching the NIMEI program.