Amnesty International today called on Ethiopian authorities to immediately start negotiations with striking healthcare professionals, warning that the government’s current approach is worsening an already critical crisis in the nation’s healthcare system. According to the organization, the prolonged strike—which has now entered its second week—has severely disrupted the delivery of essential healthcare services, further restricting patients’ right to access care. Amnesty stressed that this is not the time for grandstanding or draconian clampdowns but for constructive dialogue that addresses long‐standing issues of fair pay, improved working conditions, and institutional support for the nation’s medics.
Amnesty said that the government must unconditionally release all those detained in connection with the peaceful protest. A list of 121 healthcare professionals arrested since the strike began was supplied to Amnesty by an online movement of striking medics. Families and lawyers have reported that detainees were taken without explanation, while their homes were searched without proper legal procedures, highlighting a disturbing pattern of intimidation and arbitrary detention. The organization condemned the incommunicado detention of at least 20 professionals at the Addis Ababa Police Commission headquarters, describing such measures as an attempt to silence dissent and discourage those fighting for their rights.
In its report, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, urged that the crisis must not be exacerbated by further state repression. He called on authorities to focus resources on critical public services such as healthcare, noting that the nation’s spending on health has plummeted, falling to a record low of 2.85% of GDP in 2022—far below the Abuja Declaration’s target of 15%. Amnesty said that only through urgent, genuine negotiations can these longstanding issues be resolved, ensuring not only the safe resumption of essential healthcare services but also the protection of the rights of professionals who are indispensable in safeguarding public health.
Amnesty International concluded that Ethiopian authorities must cease all forms of harassment and repression against healthcare workers, human rights defenders, and journalists. The organization’s report makes it clear that the ongoing use of arbitrary detention and police intimidation against medical professionals—many of whom are striking for just and necessary improvements—violates both ethical norms and international human rights obligations. Amnesty said that to restore trust and ensure both patient and medic safety, the government must immediately engage in fair negotiations and release all detained medics without any conditions.
