Ethiopia: USAID Donates Health Center to Serve 25,000 People in Rural Lemi

THE United States, on Friday handed over the newly constructed Lemi Health Center to the Amhara Regional Health Bureau at a special inauguration ceremony.

The new health center was constructed through the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Health Infrastructure Program, which is funded at a cost of $1.5 million through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). As a result, more than 25,000 people in Lemi and surrounding areas will have better access to essential health services, including immunizations for children, safe childbirth delivery, HIV care and treatment services, among others.

Speaking at the event, USAID Mission Director, Leslie Reed said, “here in this community and in many parts of the country, extremely long walks to get to healthcare facilities had been the norm for generations. This is why I am so grateful to be here on behalf of USAID as we inaugurate the new Lemi health center. ”

Over the past decade, USAID has built 22 health centers in Ethiopia, 10 pharmaceutical storage warehouses, and has renovated an additional 10 existing health facilities under the PEPFAR initiative. Also, USAID’s support to build the National Blood Bank began in 2016 and is expected to be completed and handed over to the Ministry of Health in the coming months.