CURE Children’s Hospital of Ethiopia (CURE Ethiopia) has broken ground on a new clinical services building that will tremendously increase the number of children the hospital can serve. The building, which will take two years to construct, is the largest and most complex hospital expansion project in CURE’s history, aside from building a brand-new hospital. When finished, the clinical services building will contain an expanded surgical center, patient ward floors, an outpatient clinic, physical therapy, and examination rooms.
Established in 2008, CURE Ethiopia is one of eight hospitals worldwide that comprise the CURE International hospital network. This hospital is a leader in providing orthopedic and reconstructive surgeries to children suffering from life-limiting disabilities like clubfoot, knock knees, bowed legs, hip dislocations, cleft conditions, and burn contractures.
In addition to these clinical services, CURE Ethiopia ministers to patients’ and their communities’ emotional and spiritual needs. The best part is that this world-class holistic care is given to patients at no cost to their families. All clinical and counseling services are completely sponsored, thanks to generous donations from individuals and partner organizations.
Meeting a Great Need
“The hardest thing about serving children at CURE Ethiopia is knowing that tens of thousands of children are waiting behind each one of our patients for their turn to live a normal, healthy life,” said Adey Abate, the Executive Director of CURE Ethiopia.
As Ethiopia’s only specialized pediatric surgical hospital, CURE Ethiopia performs approximately 3,500 surgeries annually. This impressive number shows the hospital’s commitment to providing top-tier health care for the most vulnerable. However, compared to the nation’s 2.81 million children estimated to be living with treatable physical disabilities, the demand for surgical services continues to grow. Hence, there is a need to build capacity and expand care.
Expanding Access and Care
CURE Ethiopia’s new three-floor clinical services building will house an expanded outpatient department, five operating rooms, an 18-bed patient ward (in addition to the 50 general ward beds CURE Ethiopia already has) with a 4-bed critical care unit, and the ability to add two additional floors in the future.
These upgrades will improve patient flow and quality of care and allow the hospital to perform up to 5,000 surgeries annually, a nearly 40 percent increase over current capacity. “It will be much bigger. It will meet all international and local standards, ensuring the highest quality of care for the most vulnerable children with disabling conditions,” Executive Director Adey Abate enthusiastically stated at the groundbreaking press conference.
“In addition to serving more patients, the modern facilities will allow us to perform more highly specialized procedures to treat spinal conditions, save limbs of children that would otherwise need amputation, and restore the hands of children with underdeveloped thumbs and fingers,” added Dr. Tim Nunn, Medical Director of the hospital. The increased surgical volume will also provide CURE Ethiopia with greater opportunities to train approximately 200 national surgeons, anesthesiologists, and other health workers annually.
By increasing the country’s qualified medical professionals through local training, CURE Ethiopia is healing today’s children and building a stronger, more promising healthcare system for the future of Ethiopia.
This transformative project would not be possible without the generous involvement of the Rees-Jones Foundation and USAID.
Join the work of CURE Ethiopia in providing life-changing surgery and Christ-centered care to children living with treatable disabilities.
About the CURE Children’s Hospital of Ethiopia
Established in 2008, CURE Ethiopia performs over 2,500 life-changing reconstructive and orthopedic surgeries every year for children suffering from treatable disabilities. Strategically located in the capital city of Addis Ababa, the teaching hospital has 70 beds and four operating rooms. CURE International uses this facility to multiply its efforts by partnering with The College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa (COSECSA) to serve as a regional learning institution by implementing an orthopedic pediatric training program at the residency and fellowship levels. In addition to world-class clinical service, CURE Ethiopia ministers to the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their communities.
