Ms Stella Kyriakides, EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, today made a courtesy call on AAU’s Black Lion Specialized Hospital. The Commissioner made a tour of the hospital together with Ethiopian Minister of Health Dr Liya Tadesse; AAU President Dr. Samuel Kifle; Chief Executive Officer of Black Lion Hospital Professor Andualem Deneke, ambassadors, and guests of honor.

At the conclusion of her visit, the EU Commissioner expressed delight over the dedication of health workers at the facility and promised that the EU would continue to support Ethiopia’s continuing effort to improve the quality of health services.

For her part, Dr Liya Tadesse, Minister of Health, said Black Lion Hospital is Ethiopia’s largest multi-specialty hospital, providing high-level care to patients from across the country, adding that the hospital is undergoing sustained modernization, with the introduction of more advances in diagnostic and treatment technologies. The minister pledged that, to enhance access to cancer treatment, her ministry would provide a linear accelerator, also referred to as LINAC, which represents advances in radiation therapy. It was further revealed that mental health services and programs would be an important area of focus at the nation’s biggest health facility.

The visit by the EU Commissioner is hoped to lead to more partnerships between Addis Ababa University and universities and other scientific institutions in the European Union member states.