Addis Ababa, September 5, 2026 (FMC) — The growing number of patients arriving from across Africa for specialized treatment at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College in Addis Ababa signals Ethiopia’s emerging potential as a destination for advanced medicine and medical tourism, Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh said.
He made the assessment following a review of the institution’s work and expanding capabilities, highlighting St. Paul’s as an example of how stronger national institutions can expand a country’s capabilities far beyond the conventional delivery of services.
The institution is increasingly bringing together specialized healthcare, medical education, research, advanced technology and the development of highly skilled professionals, creating a broader platform for Ethiopia to build medical excellence and extend its reach beyond its borders.
One expression of this progress is the ACCU-TECH Diagnostic Laboratory, which has the capacity to process large volumes of samples efficiently while enabling their careful short-term preservation. The facility represents the kind of modern infrastructure that can strengthen both the quality of care and the resilience of the health system.
Technology, the Deputy Prime Minister noted, becomes most consequential when it translates into better patient outcomes, wider access and stronger professional capacity, enabling healthcare workers to deliver services with greater speed, precision and confidence.
St. Paul’s is also expanding its ability to manage complex medical conditions, including kidney transplantation and cardiovascular disease, through advanced technology and the expertise of highly trained physicians.
The institution is now treating patients not only from different parts of Ethiopia but also from other African countries. The cross-border demand, according to the Deputy Prime Minister, points to a larger possibility for Ethiopia to emerge as a continental center of medical excellence, advanced treatment, medical knowledge and medical tourism.
He stressed that the progress achieved so far should not become a basis for complacency, but rather a platform for greater ambition.
St. Paul’s should continue its transformation from a hospital into a comprehensive health city and from a medical college into a university of medicine and health sciences, he said.
Such an institution would go beyond treating illness to producing knowledge, preparing future medical leaders, advancing innovation and establishing higher standards of excellence.
The transformation will require sustained investment in advanced medical capacity, high-quality education and research grounded in the real health challenges facing the population. It will also require an institutional culture that rewards excellence, encourages discovery and embraces continuous learning and improvement.
The broader objective, he said, should be to build institutions that do not merely respond to present needs but expand the possibilities available to the country in the future.
In this regard, St. Paul’s has the potential to become a national center of excellence and a continental reference point—demonstrating what Ethiopia can achieve when institutional vision is matched by discipline, investment and sustained commitment.
The Deputy Prime Minister further linked the strengthening of healthcare institutions to Ethiopia’s wider national development, noting that institutions that heal people, train professionals, advance science and expand national capabilities contribute to the country’s confidence, productivity, resilience and prosperity.
“A healthier Ethiopia will be a stronger Ethiopia,” he said, underscoring the broader national significance of investing in institutions that strengthen the country’s medical capabilities.