Ethiopia Endorses Declaration Calling for EECC at the Heart of ECO Care
The Ethiopian Ministry of Health has formally endorsed the Addis Ababa Declaration on Emergency, Critical and Operative (ECO) Care in Africa, marking an important step towards placing Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC) at the centre of Africa's emerging ECO agenda.
Adopted at the inaugural All-African ECO Care Congress in Addis Ababa earlier this year, the declaration brings together governments, healthcare institutions, professional societies, researchers and international partners around a shared vision for strengthening emergency, critical and operative care across the continent.
Among its priority actions is a commitment to scale Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC) as the minimum standard for life-saving clinical care, alongside strengthening the workforce, infrastructure and systems needed to deliver high-quality ECO care.
This reflects a growing recognition that the greatest gains in survival come from ensuring every critically ill patient receives the essential care they need. Early recognition of critical illness, vital signs monitoring, oxygen therapy, basic airway management, infection prevention and timely escalation of care are fundamental to improving outcomes in every hospital and at every level of the health system.
The endorsement is also an important milestone in a wider regional effort.
EECC Global's Ethiopia team, led by Dr Fitsum Kifle, is now working with Ministries of Health and partners across Africa to gather feedback and support for the declaration, with the aim of developing it into a broader multi-country commitment.
The goal is to present an expanded declaration at the upcoming WHO Regional Committee for Africa meeting, helping to build regional consensus around the role of EECC within national ECO strategies.
MoH officials and representatives from professional societies and institutions supporting the Addis Ababa Declaration on ECO Care at the inaugural All-African ECO Care Congress
As countries across Africa begin implementing the WHO's vision for integrated Emergency, Critical and Operative care, there is an opportunity to ensure that every health system is built on a strong foundation. By placing EECC at the heart of ECO, countries can strengthen equitable access to life-saving care while delivering the greatest possible impact for patients and health systems alike.
EECC Global looks forward to supporting this next phase of collaboration and to working with partners across the region to help turn this shared commitment into action.