Welcome to Gotland Clinic, Bahir Dar Ethiopia

Introduction

A NETWORK MODEL FOR HIGHLY SPECIALIZED MEDICAL SERVICES IN ETHIOPIA

Gotland Special Higher Clinic is set up to bring medical services in specialties, such as dental, maxillofacial surgery, ear nose and throat and women’s healthcare. The first such medical service will be established in Bahir Dar region in Ethiopia.

An Ethiopian limited company is under formation, owned by Dr Samuel Assafa, Swedish citizen of Ethiopian origin, trained at the Karolinska, his maxillofacial surgery specialty obtained in Sweden. Dr Assafa is based in Bahir Dar in Northern Ethiopia. Board members are – apart from Dr Assafa – Hans Forsslund, former Chief Executive Officer Public Dental Service Gothland Region.

We are Volunteers

The Team and Working Group members are volunteer clinicians, administrators and managers who have worked together to take The Gotland Clinic to what is is today in its relatively short life. The Clinic has some wonderfully talented people working for realization of the project.

Ethiopian Medical Bridge

The Ethiopian Medical Bridge a non-profit Swedish organization, run by medical professionals interested in giving support to this mission.The bridge handles administrative tasks in connection with the recruitment of Swedish specialists. This includes everything from visas to travel tickes.

Building status 2

Now the walls are elevated and you can clearly see the clinic growing. It looks rather impressive.

walls3

Starting point

Samuel Samuel Assafa has worked and lived for over 30 years in Sweden, the last period on Gotland, an island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. The business idea emerged from the possibility he had to get used equipment from the Hospital and other departments in the medical services on Gotland that was rebuilt.
Being of Ethiopian origin, he wanted to get back to serve his native country following his retirement.

The idea came up to set up a clinic in Ethiopia with medical equipment from Sweden and support from volunteer Swedish doctors. A network of medical staff, started to collect equipment to and inspect and renovate them to a good and adequate standard. A container full was shipped to Ethiopia in the autumn of 2006. Since then, he and his collaborators have worked on getting all the legal permissions and a plot to build the clinic. A starting point is all the equipment which is enough for basic medical need.