All African Leprosy, Tuberculosis and Rehabilitation and Training Center (ALERT) said it is on the right track to achieve its plan to be a specialized teaching hospital by 2025.
The hospital’s Executive General Dagnew Agizew told The Ethiopian Herald :” We have decided to build the hospital aimed at realizing our lofty goal to become a center of excellence in Africa and meeting the increasing demand of outpatient and inpatient treatment at the center.”
He also said the hospital was established to provide treatment services for leprosy and TB at local and continental levels,but it has not fully met its mission yet.
As to him , the hospital is currently offering various trainings related to leprosy and TB on the top of providing health care service for huge number of people.
“Particularly, in the treatment of leprosy and skin diseases, we are internationally acclaimed center. Therefore, so far we have offered training to five African and European countries.”
In order to expand the services and to solve the existing infrastructural problems, many projects are under construction.
He noted that: “Nearly 50 professionals are now specializing in various treatments and to increase the number of specialist doctors which are only about 29 right now. We,therefore, will have about hundred specialist doctors in the near future.”
Talking about the overall progress of the hospital as per its plan, Dagnew said : “We are on the right track to achieve the set goals and the future of the hospital is so rosy .”
Currently, the hospital is serving over 400, 000 people from the whole country as it is the only referral hospital of the nation for leprosy, plastic and reconstructive surgeries in cases of accidents and serious skin diseases.
The hospital was established in early 1970s to provide Leprosy and TB treatment and training services at continental level.