Summary of the Annual Report 2025 from Attat Hospital in Ethiopia

Every year, we await eagerly the Annual Report of Attat Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Hospital, Ethiopia. In 2025, it was prepared by Sister Senait Mengeaha, the hospital’s General Manager, and her team. The report gives us a glimpse into what has been achieved over the past year at Attat Hospital, located 175 km southwest from Addis Ababa.

The hospital has been in operation for the past 56 years and belongs to the Catholic Ethiopian Church - with Medical Mission Sisters given the responsibility for running it and its outreach programmes for the local communities. 

Mainly covering Cheha Woreda in the Guraghe Zone of Ethiopia, the hospital offers integrated healthcare and development activities across a widespread population of 1 million people.  The medical team, which currently comprises 198 employees, provides both curative and preventive services.  42% of the income of the healthcare facility comes from patients themselves, while the rest of the service provision relies on gifts and donations. Currently, the hospital manages referrals from 37 other health centres and clinics. 

In 2025, in a 5 working day week, 68,949 patients came to the outpatient department (OPD) which translates into an average of 264 persons per day. The most frequent diagnoses were infections, gastro-intestinal problems and urinary tract problems. Malaria was ranked in ninth place.

The hospital has 89 beds, a house for high-risk mothers, the Maternity Waiting Home (MWH) with 33 beds and 11 additional beds in the nutrition rehabilitation unit. 7,883 inpatients were admitted over the past year, with a bed occupancy rate of 62%. Patients stay on average for 3 days. The main reasons for hospital admission were child birth followed by infectious diseases. With regard to inpatients, malaria went up to fourth place in the inpatient ranking. The main causes for mortality were pneumonia and neonatal sepsis.

On the surgical side, there were 2,180 major and 4,234 minor operations performed. The leading type of major surgical procedure was a Caesarean section (C-section hereafter, counting 665 in 2025) and minor operations were mainly for tooth extractions (2,015 in total.)

1,944 deliveries of newborns took place at the hospital of which 674 were complicated births.

During 2025, 372 women were admitted to the Maternity Waiting Area, 62% of whom needed the help of a C-section. For non-MWH mothers, the C-section rate was reduced to 26%. Furthermore, over the past year, 339 newborn infants were admitted to the Neonatal Unit, the main reason for admission being neonatal sepsis. Except for 3 babies, Sister Rita Schiffer was pleased to report that all could go home well and recovered.

3,235 HIV tests were performed with a positive rate of 0.6 %. In total, 489 adult AIDS patients and 4 children living with HIV are on retroviral therapy at the hospital.

Attat Hospital also runs an extensive public health programme in cooperation with 54 villages. Some of the activities are designed to help to provide “safe water” through 122 safe water sites. The wells are maintained with the help of the hospital’s water team.

At community-level, 2,588 women are organised in 42 women’s groups. The main focus of the hospital’s work with women is health education and local women are also being empowered in public speaking and encouraged to contribute to local community development.  In 8 designated Villager Association Health Posts, minor illnesses, such as headache, fever, worms and small injuries, are treated. This saves some people trips to the hospital. Another important task of the health post personnel is to educate the villagers on health issues, such as immunisation, prevention of malaria, HIV/AIDS awareness, TB and diarrhoea. There are also discussions about harmful traditional practices and information is shared about the possibilities of family planning, as well as general learning around improved hygiene - e.g., through the use of pit latrines and waste pits.

It is reported that Attat Hospital continues to be a practical training site. Nurses, midwives, health officers, laboratory technicians, pharmacy and HMIS students practise there.  In this area of activity, Attat cooperates with Hosanna Health Science College, Hamlin College for Midwives and Welkite University. The collaboration with these teaching institutes is thought to contribute indirectly to the promotion of qualified and responsible healthcare for all people living in Ethiopia.

The work in and around Attat reminds us of this prayer from the sixteenth century by St Teresa of Avila:

Christ has no body now but yours.

No hand, no feet on earth but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion on this world.

Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good.

Yours are the hands through which He blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are His body.

Christ has no body now on earth, but yours.

At the end of this year’s report, the whole team and all people served send heartfelt thanks to all of the hospital’s benefactors for their generous support in so many ways. This kindness encourages the team to keep going for the sake of their patients and beneficiaries in this previously underserved part of our world.