| Ethiopia | Australia | |
| Population |
110,871,031 |
25,809,973 |
| Average life expectancy at birth (male/female) |
65.8/70.1 years |
81/85 |
| Urban population |
22.2% |
86.4% |
| GDP per capita | 2,221 USD | 49,854 USD (2019) |
| Health spending (% of GDP) | 3.3% | 9.3% |
| Human Development Index |
0.485 |
0.944 |
| Education expenditure (% of GDP) |
4.7% (2015 est.) |
5.1% (2017) |
*2021 est. unless specified otherwise (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/)
St Mary’s Hospital, Dubbo, Ethiopia
St Mary’s Hospital is a 100-bed Catholic hospital in Dubbo providing medical, surgical, paediatric and maternity services to the local community of around 100,000 people. The Cabrini Missionary Sisters assume full responsibility for the hospital according to an agreement with the local Catholic diocese. As well as providing significant financial support, Cabrini Outreach partners with the Sisters to strengthen the hospital’s governance and management systems, and to improve clinical standards.
How is Cabrini Outreach involved?
Cabrini Outreach continues to provide financial support to St Mary’s Hospital with the goal of strengthening capacity of their health workforce and strengthening the quality of their maternal and child health program. This program is currently facility based, with plans to extend services to community outreach in the near future, and aiming to improve quality of life for mothers and children and provide quality paediatric and surgical services. In the process, we are striving to help Ethiopia meet the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals.
Past achievements
Throughout our long-standing partnership with St Mary’s Hospital, Cabrini Outreach has in the past contributed to:
- The construction of a new hospital cafeteria kitchen, and therefore improvement to the cooks’ working environment and the hygiene of food preparation;
- The purchase of an always-ready, roadworthy ambulance vehicle that can transport patients to Soddo for higher-level emergency treatment, therefore saving lives and minimising trauma;
- The strengthening of St Mary’s hospital governance through oversight. We have actively participated alongside the community, hospital staff and the Cabrini Sisters to develop and implement a strategic plan.
Current services
With the support of Cabrini Outreach, St Mary’s Hospital has more recently achieved, and continues to implement:
- Improved access to Maternal and Child Health Services in the health facility;
- Improved access to paediatrics services so that all sick children can attend hospital for assessment and receive the treatment needed;
- Improved access to surgical treatment, in particular C-Section;
- Improved embodiment of the Cabrinian charism.