DW Amharic – Health professionals protesting for improved wages arrested in Dessie city
- AAA-admin
- 1 day ago
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Disclaimer: This is an English translation of an Amharic article taken from DW Amharic and is intended solely for information purposes.
DW Amharic – Health professionals protesting for improved wages arrested in Dessie city
Monday, May 12, 2025 (Ginbot 4, 2017 E.C.)
Health professionals in Boru General Hospital in Dessie city of Amhara Region have been arrested by government security forces according to colleagues and residents of Dessie city. Government security forces reportedly arrested 10 health professionals.
Today on Monday, May 12, 2025 (Ginbot 4, 2017 E.C.) health professionals from Boru General Hospital in Dessie city of Amhara Region came out to protest inadequate wages and were arrested from their place of work by government security forces according to their colleagues. One health professional who asked that their identity be kept anonymous and their voice be altered for security reasons said government security forces arrested 10 hospital workers.
Ten health professionals arrested
“We were returning with banners reading that many of us have reached a stage of not being able to live on our wages, afterwards we dispersed and returned to work at which point police were coming out with rifles and machine guns making a turn with no less than 10 health professionals who were taken away.”
They said health professionals from Boru Meda General Hospital that joined the nationwide social movement calling for fair wages were arrested including doctors, nurses and health experts from the mothers and children department.
The health professionals’ final social media campaign involved a warning for a walkout and demonstration “there were doctors and nurses, including doctors and nurses specializing in birth, and nurses working in the children’s department, overall they were doctors that were arrested.”
In addition, availability of medical services was disrupted say residents of Dessie city who went to the hospital for medical care.
“At the time they didn’t welcome us they told us to wait and those that left immediately conducted peaceful demonstrations, the police told them to return to their places of work and that’s when they began greeting us. At around 8:30 am in the morning a white vehicle with its trunk open took a significant number of people as they were coming into their offices for work.”
We expressed our views peacefully and only addressed ourselves and our specific problem say health professionals, and today’s arrest of health professionals in Boru Meda General Hospital was irresponsible, they said.
Health professionals call for improved wages and benefits
“There is nothing else we came to do, we have no connection to politics, we are saying the current economic reality is beyond our means. This question was raised from this perspective, after we finished voicing this matter the police came and took away our friends.”
The questions raised by health professionals in Amhara Region are valid says the Amhara Region Health Professional Association President Ato Shambel Fentaye, adding though they have not received details of health professionals being arrested for expressing their views, health professionals should not be arrested for expressing their views. “The association believes the question should be raised in an appropriate manner and we are speaking with relevant parties, we will continue on this matter but we have not yet received a report on individuals who were arrested. Professionals should not be arrested for asking for their rights to be respected.”
The Amhara Region Health Professional Association President voiced support for the health professional movement to exercise their rights and said it should continue in a manner that does not bring harm to members of the public or the country. We asked the Boru Meda General Hospital director, the Dessie city police station and the Dessie city health coordination officials for their thoughts around the arrests however they were unwilling to comment.
Esayas Gelaw
Tamrat Dinsa
Eshete Bekele
