It started with what we saw and heard firsthand. In bustling Addis Ababa and quiet rural villages alike, we met patients whose hope hung by a thread—waiting weeks, sometimes months, for a diagnosis or surgery because the tools simply weren’t there. A mother clutching her child, praying for an X-ray to reveal a hidden illness. A father recounting how his son died without ever seeing the inside of an operating room. These weren’t just stories; they were pleas echoing through overcrowded hospital corridors.
Our interviews with healthcare professionals painted an even bleaker picture. Doctors and nurses, tireless in their dedication, spoke of working miracles with next to nothing—one radiation therapy machine for an entire country until recently, shared by millions; only 602 operating tables nationwide, or one for every 200,000 people; fewer than 25 CT scanners nationwide, leaving brain injuries and cancers undetected until too late. “We lose patients we could save,” one surgeon told us, his voice heavy with frustration, “because we don’t have the equipment.”
The numbers backed up their words. Studies revealed Ethiopia has just 0.4 hospital beds per 1,000 people—1 bed for every 2,500. Imaging is a luxury: a handful of MRIs, a few dozen CT scanners, and X-ray machines so scarce that rural clinics rely on guesswork. We learned of a survey showing 163 facilities—80% of the nation’s total—limping along with 482 functional OR tables, while diagnostic labs lack even basic analyzers. This isn’t just scarcity; it’s a silent emergency.
We couldn’t unsee it. Ethiopia’s struggle isn’t unique—it’s a microcosm of East Africa and beyond—but it’s where we chose to start. Inspired by these encounters, we founded Heal the Sick to turn despair into action. Our mission is simple yet urgent: collect new or decommissioned medical equipment—from hospital beds to CT scanners—and ship them to Ethiopia and East Africa, where they’ll breathe life into under-resourced hospitals and clinics.
We’re just launching, but our vision is clear. In the US and other developed nations, surplus equipment sits unused, replaced by the latest models while still perfectly functional. We see a bridge: connecting this abundance to Ethiopia’s need. One donated OR table could mean 150 surgeries a year. One X-ray machine could screen 1,000 patients monthly. Every piece we deliver is a chance to rewrite a patient’s story—from waiting in vain to healing in time.
Heal the Sick is more than a nonprofit—it’s a promise. Born from what we’ve seen, heard, and felt, we’re here to equip healers and save lives, one shipment at a time. Join us as we begin this journey to mend a broken system and bring hope where it’s needed most.
Our Team: Heal the Sick’s team currently consist of 14 persons; started in 2024 by a group of three friends who used to live in Ethiopia and two of whom have moved to the US a couple of decades ago, it has gotten involved 11 more friends and philanthropists who have the passion to help and make differences in other’s lives. The founding members were Muhiydin Abasambi, who is a medical professional, Aklilu Debessay a civil engineer by profession and Ms. Alemtsehay a philanthropist who founded and operates another nonprofit to get help to the impoverished in Ethiopia joined us as a founder to help us with her extensive experience in founding, licensing, and operating a nonprofit in Ethiopia. Her nonprofit also will work in collaboration with ours helping us in selecting and qualifying healthcare facilities that are most deserving of the equipment donations.
“Most staff members work with very little salaries; a monthly salary of an amount equivalent to 1 day pay in a American standard. The founders are not paid at all.”
