Ethiopian Ministry of Health has imposed conditions on medical travel. The ministry has issued “Foreign Medical Service Implementation Directive No. 1128/2018” in this regard.
According to the directive, patients seeking permission to travel abroad for medical treatment must submit a document confirming that they have between 500,000 and 1,000,000 Birr in a bank account, depending on the type of the treatment.
Any person who wants to travel abroad for medical treatment will have to ensure that:
• The required type of treatment is not available in Ethiopia
• The illness cannot be diagnosed locally
• The patient’s life is at risk due to a serious condition
Patients requesting permission to travel abroad must submit written report by a medical board, led by the hospital’s medical director and consisting of 3 to 5 members, that he meets the conditions to travel abroad. Patients traveling for transplant treatment must also submit additional documents showing their agreement with the donor and the donor’s health status. Agents connecting patients with foreign medical institutions must be health professionals and obtain a competency certificate from the Ministry.
