Social Enterprise

In a country with more than 100 million people and a high car-crash fatality rate, Ethiopia’s demand for ambulances and trained emergency medical services (EMS) providers far exceeds its resources. But Weber State University professors and Ethiopian nurse anesthetist Kibret Abebe are working to improve emergency medical care for people in need.

As a surgical clinician, Abebe witnessed many preventable trauma deaths – victims, he said, who were not provided the immediate emergency care they needed to survive until surgery. As a result, Abebe dedicated his life to creating Ethiopia’s first private EMS company, Tebita Ambulance.

The difference between life and death could be in minutes and not being able to get prompt medical assistance should not be a reason to lose a beloved one. Tebita Ambulance & Prehospital Emergency Medical Services tries to break these barriers in Ethiopia’s medical care system, providing emergency ambulance service and medical help to those in need. For all its efforts though, poor infrastructure, especially roads amongst others, becomes quite the challenge, writes CHRISTIAN TESFAYE, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

At the European Development Days, Kibret Abebe Tuffa will make a powerful case for the role that social enterprise can play in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Kbret Abebe Tuffa sold his only home to launch Tebita. Today, the Ethiopian social enterprise has 11 ambulances, 63 employees and has provided ambulance services to more than 40,000 clients.