National Healthcare System Development of Ethiopia: A Systematic Narrative Review

Objective: To describe the evidence on the development of the National Healthcare System in Ethiopia. 

Method: The databases Embase, Ovid Emcare, Ovid MEDLINE, and Scopus were searched, together with the reference lists of the identified articles, relevant reports and books were searched. Articles were included if they described health services development in Ethiopia. Results: In Ethiopia, medical care has historically been performed by traditional healers who use magic and superstition. Over time, modern medicine continued to develop, and by 2014, 5% of Ethiopia’s total Gross Domestic Product was spent on health. In 2017, nearly 1.26 healthcare workers per 1000 population provided services through 21,071 healthcare organizations, with the majority being rural health posts. There are shortages of healthcare workers and limited numbers of hospitals. However, the introduction of the Health Extension Program and Health Extension Workers has improved access to healthcare in the country and could be a model for other African nations. Conclusion: Although the health care strategies introduced by the Ethiopian government have improved some health issues, accessibility to healthcare institutions that provide curative services is limited.