Overview
The Ethiopian Medical Association (EMA) is the oldest and the first professional association in Ethiopia. In the 1950s, just before the EMA was founded, there were nearly 500 expatriate doctors in Ethiopia with only 5 to 7 Ethiopian doctors. One of the expatriates, Dr. Fried Hylander, a Swede, was trying to bring doctors who worked in Menelik, Princes Tsehay (currently the Armed Forces), Empress Zewditu and other hospitals together by arranging monthly meetings to discuss and share problems among themselves. And the Ethiopian Medical Association (EMA) evolved from those small meetings of doctors. The Ethiopian Medical Association (EMA) was founded on 20 July 1961 with a charter granted by Emperor Haile-Selasie I who was also the association’s patron. The association’s first constitution was issued the same year and it made membership open to all health related professionals. Doctors were full members while veterinary doctors, pharmacists, optometrists, nurses and others were associate members. According to the first president of EMA, Dr. Fried Hylander, an informal association of doctors in Ethiopia had existed since 1949 with Prof. Mario Giaquinto as the first president. Prof. Giaquinto was the director of the Imperial Ethiopian Medical Research Institute (later called The Pastuere Institute) from 1942 to 1952. Prof. G. Rizzotti was the second president followed by Dr. Johan F. Otto from West Germany. Dr. Otto and Dr. Paulos Quanaa are credited for finalizing the EMA constitution with the help of Nerayo Isayas, the attorney general at the Imperial Ministry of Justice. Dr. Otto who was also on the editorial board of EMJ was the person instrumental in affiliating EMA with WMA. Publication of EMJ was superbly managed by Dr. Oscar Barry, OBE, FRCSE, with timely and appropriate editorials despite his engaging work as director and chief surgeon of Princes Tsehay Memorial Hospital. Dr. Flora S. Barry, a paediatrician and wife of Dr. Oscar Barry, was the secretary of EMA in the formative years of the association. Dr. Flora S. Barry recorded monthly schedules of the EMA meetings at various hospitals in Addis Ababa, with comments of the outcomes of these meetings, performance of branch associations in Jimma, Harrar as well as in Asmara, and number of EMA members and fellows of other professions. She also recorded new recruits. She tape-recorded the lectures and addresses of outstanding medical personalities to EMA. Dr. Oscar Barry, editor of EMJ, Prof. Edgar Mannheimer, member of EMJ board and head of Ethio-Swedish Paediatric Clinic, as well as Dr. Alexander Dimitrov (Yugoslav national and medical director of Menelik II Hospital), Dr. Demissie Habte, Dr. Taye Mekuria, all EMJ board members as well as EMA members played key role to establish a medical school in Ethiopia in 1961-62. The Rockefeller Commission was part of the team to study feasibility and offer plans for the medical school and faculty in the Haile-Selassie I University.