Ethiopia's National Emergency Medical Team Secures WHO International Classification

16 September 2026
Addis Standard (Addis Ababa)

Addis Abeba — Ethiopia's National Emergency Medical Team (EMT) has received international classification from the World Health Organization (WHO), making it the first civilian EMT in the WHO African Region to attain the classification, according to a WHO announcement on Tuesday.

Discover moreEthiopian political analysisNewsAddis Ababa tourism WHO said the achievement makes Ethiopia the first country in the region with a classified civilian EMT, alongside Senegal, which has a classified military EMT. The verification confirms that Ethiopia's national team meets WHO standards for quality, operational readiness, deployment capacity and emergency medical response.

The classification follows years of training, investment and technical support led by the Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), with assistance from WHO and partners within the Emergency Medical Team Network.

The verification process assessed the team's governance, clinical services, logistics, information management, infection prevention and control, water, sanitation and hygiene, and operational readiness. WHO said pre-verification exercises and simulations had also demonstrated the team's capacity to establish and operate a functional field hospital and respond to complex public health emergencies.

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Emergency Medical Teams are groups of health professionals trained to rapidly deploy during disease outbreaks, natural disasters, conflicts and other health emergencies. They provide emergency and clinical care as well as outbreak response and public health services, including in challenging environments.

Join Diaspora Networks According to WHO, Ethiopia's national EMT has previously supported emergency operations in the country, including the response to the Gamo Zone landslide and preparedness and response activities for emerging disease outbreaks. WHO also said the team's development has been supported by partners including UK-Med, the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), EMT Network partners, technical experts and donors.

The development comes as African countries expand their national emergency response capacities. WHO said 30 countries on the continent are currently developing national EMT capacities under the Regional Framework on Emergency Medical Teams 2026-2030, adopted at the 76th WHO Regional Committee for Africa meeting in Addis Abeba in August.

Discover moreBrowse Digital MagazinesEthiopian politics analysisNews analysis reportsNews subscription serviceJoin Diaspora NetworksSubscribe To NewsDownload Interactive MapsEthiopian news updates Ethiopia is also preparing to host the seventh Global Emergency Medical Teams Meeting in Addis Abeba from 3-5 November 2026. WHO said it will be the first time the global meeting is hosted in the African Region and will bring together governments, emergency responders, technical experts and international partners.

Try Time Trackers WHO said the classification marks the beginning of a new phase for Ethiopia's EMT, with continued training, quality assurance, readiness and rapid deployment capacity needed to maintain its operational standards.

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