Critical Success Factors for Telemedicine in Ethiopia

Information and communication technology (ICT) has seen exceptional growth in the last decade in Ethiopia and Africa. Delivery of health care services is an issue for governments in most developing countries. However, service and quality depend on the availability of financial and human resources along with the organizational and management capability to transform the resources to meet national needs. This paper discusses three important enablers of telemedicine: government in the role of policy maker and facilitator; higher institutions as providers of resources and training; and foreign alliances for infusion of finances and expertise. This paper specifically discusses Ethiopia as a case study, describing the effect of these enablers in Ethiopian telemedicine.