Ethiopia takes its hospitals digital: medical records go paperless 🇪🇹🏥

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Paper files are on their way out. On September 23, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health announced the rollout of electronic medical information systems across 130 health facilities nationwide. The move is part of a broader effort to improve patient care by upgrading the country’s health infrastructure.

Hospitals move from paper to digital 💻

For decades, hospital administration in Ethiopia has relied almost entirely on paper. That’s now changing as facilities adopt integrated digital platforms. Payments, consultations, and lab results will all be centralized in one system. For patients, this means smoother check-ins and easier access to their medical history.

Raising the quality and speed of care ⚕️

But this isn’t just about cutting paperwork. The ultimate goal is better healthcare delivery. Doctors and nurses will have access to more reliable data, helping them make faster, better-informed decisions. The shift also promises stronger planning for staff allocation and medical resources across hospitals.

This initiative is part of Ethiopia’s 10-year national digital health strategy. In the medium term, the government plans to expand the program countrywide and introduce new services such as telemedicine and predictive analytics. The aim: bring Ethiopia’s healthcare system closer to international standards and pave the way for advanced medical technologies.

Challenges remain ⚠️

Success, however, will depend on overcoming some serious hurdles. Cybersecurity is a top concern: Ethiopia ranked Tier 3 in the International Telecommunication Union’s 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index, with a score of 76.34 out of 100. Training hospital staff to adapt to the new tools will also be critical, as will expanding internet access. At the start of 2025, only 21.3% of Ethiopians were online, according to DataReportal.

Even so, Ethiopia hopes this program will mark the beginning of a digital health revolution—one that can keep pace with a fast-growing population and modernize the country’s medical system.

👉🏾 Do you think digitizing health records can truly transform patient care in Ethiopia? Share your thoughts in the comments 😊