Biomedical Engineering in Ethiopia
The new undergraduate program in Biomedical Engineering was conceived in 2007 and the curriculum was developed in 2008. The Department was first started at Jimma University with less than 35 students in Bachelor Degree Program in 2008. The program/department is sought to be part of the Technology Faculty.
The program was developed to fulfill the demand of innovative, highly skilled, practically-oriented, entrepreneurial, and ethical human resources in the various fields of Biomedical Engineering such as Biomechanics, Medical Imaging, and Bioinstrumentation.
Location: Jimma university, Jimma, Ethiopia.
May 2014.
The Objectives of the program are:
General Objectives
- Produce high-level technical manpower that can participate in national health activity and clinical technology.
- Produce engineers that can carry out maintenance and design of medical and hospital equipment at central and primary health care unit levels.
- Prepare graduates to be able to orient medical staff in the proper utilization and preventive maintenance of Biomedical Equipment
- Prepare graduates that undertake basic design and construction activity of Biomedical Equipment.
- Create graduates capable to carry out research in the areas of Biomedical Engineering relevant to the needs of the country.
Specific Objectives
- Produce graduates who can train Biomedical Technicians.
- Engage students in research that offers optimal solutions to technical problems in the health care system and industries.
- Prepare graduates that have the capability of following current and future developments in the field and related applications.
- Enable graduates to work as a team in addressing technical problems which may be encountered in real life and within the health care system.
- Provide graduates with sufficient background to undertake postgraduate training in any one of the various specialized areas of Biomedical Discipline.
By now, the University has graduated more than 300 Biomedical Engineers so far. In addition, Jimma University has started to offer Master Program in Biomedical Engineering since 2016. To summarize, by now, there are two universities (Jimma University and Addis Ababa University) who are offering Biomedical Engineering in both Bachelor and Master Degree Programs.
By Keneni Benti
Student of Master of Engineering (BME)
Government Engineering College,
Gandhinagar, India
