(Photo courtesy of Tebita Ambulance)
Tadias Magazine
By Liben Eabisa
Published: May 22nd, 2020
New York (TADIAS) – Twelve year ago when Kibret Abebe quit his job as a nurse anesthetist at Black Lion Hospital and sold his house to launch Tebita Ambulance — Ethiopia’s First Private Ambulance System — his friends and family were understandably concerned about his decisions. But today Tebita operates over 20 advanced life support ambulances with approval from the Ministry of Health and stands as the country’s premier Emergency Medical Service (EMS). Tebita has since partnered with East Africa Emergency Services, an Ethiopian and American joint venture that Kibret also owns, with the aim “to establish the first trauma center and air ambulance system in Ethiopia.”
“We’ve saved over 70,000 lives,” Kibret told Tadias in a recent interview. “We opened the first paramedic college in Ethiopia, and the first batch have graduated and are employed by Tebita,” he says. “We are pushing the agenda of social enterprise, solving social problems with a business model rather than aid.”
This past month Tebita announced their launch of new services in Addis Abeba to address the COVID-19 pandemic and are encouraging Ethiopians residing in the U.S. to utilize Tebita for regular home check-ins on elderly family members as well as vulnerable individuals with pre-existing conditions.
“Tebita provides home-based medical checkups to those living in Addis Abeba,” says Laura Davis, Partner at RENEW, the U.S. firm behind East Africa Emergency Services. “Tebita understands that the current landscape with COVID-19 has made many people reluctant and fearful to seek medical attention for new and chronic conditions. To meet this need, Tebita offers home-based medical checkups.” Laura explains: “This service includes a home visit from a trained medical professional along with medical services, recommendations, and follow up treatments as necessary. In addition, our COVID-19-related services include “contactless check-ins and care package delivery within Addis Ababa. ”
The following is an audio of my interview with Kibret Abebe and Laura Davis:
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For more information:
Website: http://www.tebitambulance.com/
Tebita’s Short Code in Addis: 8035
Email: info@eastafricaes.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tebita.ambulance/
https://www.eastafricaems.com/peace-of-mind-services.html
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