Dear Reader,
There’s a dangerous illusion that African resilience is infinite — that doctors will keep showing up, teachers will keep sacrificing, and the youth will keep “managing” no matter how broken the system is. But today’s story reminds us: even stethoscopes have limits.
This isn’t just a protest in Ethiopia, it’s a megaphone for every underpaid professional on this continent who’s ever whispered “this is not sustainable.”
And the real question isn’t why they’re striking.
It’s why they had to in the first place.
NoOrdinary Eyitemi
Editor-in-Chief, Decode Daily
The Gist
Since May 13, 2025, Ethiopia’s hospitals have gone eerily quiet, not because there’s no illness, but because the people who keep the system running are on strike.
Thousands of doctors, nurses, and health workers have walked out. Their demands? Simple: fair pay, working tools, and dignity. Many specialists earn just $85/month.
To put that in context:
In Lagos, a live-in nanny earns between ₦80k to ₦150k per month.
Nothing wrong with care work... nannies keep homes running. But it says a lot when a fully trained medical specialist, after six years of university, earns less than someone who didn’t need formal schooling.
That’s not just a wage gap. That’s a broken value system.
And it gets worse:
- Hospital dorms are being raided.
- Medicine shelves are empty.
- Doctors who speak up are arrested.
- And the government is threatening to revoke medical licenses.
And the government’s response? Instead of listening, it’s cracking down with arrests, intimidation, and zero dialogue.
Why It Matters (to Your Career, Hustle & Wallet)
If you’ve worked in health, education, or any underfunded public sector in Africa, this hits home.
But this isn’t just Ethiopia’s drama, it’s a continental cautionary tale:
- 🇳🇬 Nigerian doctors are fleeing the country for better pay abroad.
- 🇬🇭 Ghana’s nurses are in the UK staffing the NHS.
- 🇰🇪 Kenya’s young professionals are moonlighting just to afford rent.
Across the board, Africa’s best brains are bleeding out, not from war, but from neglect.
The bitter truth?
When your doctor earns less than your house help, your entire health system is on life support.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just a health sector issue. It’s a leadership issue.
Here’s what’s really at stake:
- The Silent Brain Drain: Highly trained African professionals — doctors, engineers, teachers — are quietly packing up. If we don’t fix pay and working conditions, we won’t have anyone left to fix anything.
- The Price of Protest: From #EndSARS to Ethiopia’s medics, asking for dignity is still treated as a crime. Democracy can’t thrive where dissent is punished.
- The War on Care Work: The world claps for essential workers, but refuses to pay them. Africa can’t develop on unpaid labour and unpaid heroes.
One Last Thing:
If the people meant to save lives can’t afford to live, what future are we building?
Africa can’t afford to keep exporting its best minds or silencing those who speak up. Not in health. Not in education. Not in tech. Not in art.
Let this story ring loud across the continent:
We can’t build greatness on the backs of unpaid heroes.
Catch you at 6PM tomorrow. Same Decode time. Same clarity.
Source: Amnesty International | JURIST Legal News | AllAfrica | Geeska Africa
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