Ethical issues in the care of older people in Ethiopia
Kirubel Mussie, University of Basel
Older people in Ethiopia remain vulnerable and unnoticed. Although traditional family and community support are believed to be the main sources of care for older people, these sources are weakening due to mainly the growth of industrialisation and urbanisation. In the face of poverty and fragile health care system in the country, health care for the elderly faces ethical challenges that need much attention. However, very little is known on this area. In an attempt to fill the existing gap, the main objective of this study is to understand ethical issues in connection with the provision of health care to elderly people in Ethiopia. The results of this study will provide input for further studies and help develop strategies to reduce the vulnerability of older people in Ethiopia.
Keywords: older adults, health professionals, mental health, vulnerability, ethical issues, poverty, barriers to health care access, Ethiopia
Short Biography
Kirubel Manyazewal Mussie is a PhD student in Biomedical Ethics at the Institute for Biomedical Ethics at the Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel. He has an MPhil in International Community Health from the University of Oslo, Norway. Moreover, he took his bachelor in social work from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. He did internships both in Norway (at the University of Oslo) and Ethiopia (at Plan International African Union Liaison Office). He also worked in the areas of gender equality in Ethiopia. He is interested in the sociocultural,
political and ethical aspects of health.
Kirubel Mussie
Institute for Biomedical Ethics
University of Basel
Supervisor: Bernice Elger