ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
Dr. Desalew Mekonnen, a first-year medical resident at Black Lion Hospital in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, mulled over a patient’s electrocardiogram and frowned.
A consultation was in order. Desalew called upon a more experienced physician in Hyderabad, India, by Web cam as part of a new $116 million project that links Indian hospitals and universities to Ethiopian ones.
“It’s very helpful,” Desalew said Friday. “It will improve health care in Ethiopia.”
The program, paid for by the Indian government, allows doctors, students and teachers in Ethiopia to take classes and consult with Indian specialists by Web cam and e-mail.
Pranab Mukherjee, India’s foreign minister, inaugurated the program during a trip to this Horn of Africa nation, saying the two countries have strong ties. Ethiopia has 3,000 students enrolled in Indian universities, and Ethiopian universities have 450 Indian teachers, he says.
“Education and knowledge are the prime drivers of all economic and social development,” he says. “We are happy through this project to be able to strengthen our cooperation with Ethiopia in this critical field.”
