COMPANY: TEBITA AMBULANCE SERVICE
(www.tebitaambulance.com)
FOUNDER: KIBRET ABEBE
INSPIRATION TO START THE BUSINESS
Kibret Abebe is a professional anesthetist with over 25 years’ experience. He established TEBITA Ambulance after witnessing the poor conditions of victims of traffic accidents and other emergency medical patients when they arrived at local Addis Ababa hospitals. Kibret saw the need to improve patient transportation and pre-hospital care. He proposed the concept of private ambulatory care to the Ministry of Health, helped develop government regulatory standards for the industry. He then received the first license to provide private ambulance service in Ethiopia in 2008. TEBITA remains the only licensed for-profit ambulance and pre-hospital emergency care business in the country for the last nine years. The name Tebita means a “drop” in Amharic. Kibret used this name to encourage every fellow citizen especially the young one to ask themselves what “drop” of contribution they make for humanity. Kibret has sold his only house to buy 3 second hand ambulances in 2008.
BACKGROUND OF FOUNDER
Kibret graduated from Jimma University in nursing in 1988. He worked as a nurse in Oromia regional state for four years and was then transferred to Addis Ababa to work in Black Lion hospital. After working briefly as a nurse in Black Lion hospital he joined anesthesia school under Addis Ababa University medical facility and graduated after two years intensive training. Kibret worked as an anesthetist in Black Lion hospital for 17 years. After seeing the mishandling of emergency cases, he decided to open the first private ambulance and emergency medical service company in Ethiopia. Kibret has a BA degree in social science from Addis Ababa University.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS
Tebita ambulance is providing the following services as a social enterprise by using the business model called cross subsidization. The key services Tebita provides are as follows:
Ambulance service
o 24/7 ambulance service
o Remote emergency medical service
o Peace of mind service
o CSR Ambulance Service
Training
o First aid and health safety training for non- health professionals
o Basic and advanced life support training for health professionals
o Professional paramedics training
o First aid kit provision
o Home based nursing care
o National and international air evacuation
Recognition Received
o Received $200,000 grant from USAID and DFAID as part of an innovative health idea competition
o Received more than 100 appreciation certificates from different national and international organizations
o Participated in experience sharing in more than 25 countries
o Participated conferences concerning social enterprises
o Selected to take one-year leadership training and become an Acumen fellow 2015
o Received three award and nomination by federal Ministry of health.
o Ambassador of health and social service
o Hero of health development
o Extra ordinary job in emergency medical service.
KEY CHALLENGES
o Unable to access finance
o Unable to involve equity investors.
o Unable to access technical assistance in ambulance service
o Unable to achieve economy of scale
o Poor supply chain for emergency supplies and equipment
o Poor private public partnership
o Poor health insurance system
o Unavailability of laws, policies and procedures for social enterprises
o Unable to obtain working space.
SOCIAL IMPACT
o Provided ambulance service for more than 55,000 people
o Gave training for more than 40,000 trainees
o Increased the number of ambulances from 3 to 11
o Provided employment opportunities for 56 permanents and 28 temporary employees
FUTURE PLANS
To be the leading ambulance provider in Ethiopia
In the next five years, Tebita intends to have 250 ambulances and 50 motor ambulances, and to be present in most places in Ethiopia. Tebita intends to have a dispatch center in every sub-city in Addis Ababa.
To be the leading emergency services training company in Ethiopia.
Targeted groups are Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics. Additional training will be provided in the area of first aid and health safety training for non-professionals. Tebita intends to have the best paramedical training center in East Africa and will construct their own building in Addis Ababa. The paramedical training program has already been launched.
To be the leading emergency equipment company in Ethiopia.
Tebita will be the lead importer, assembly and manufacturer of emergency medical equipment in Ethiopia
To establish a trauma center in Ethiopia
Tebita aspires to have a world class trauma center that stabilizes emergency cases in life threatening situations and transfers them to respective specialty hospital after they are stabilized
To establish an air ambulance service system that serves the entire east African region
FUNDING REQUEST
Annual Turnover
Over a million birr
Amount of Financing Needed (USD)
Minimum 100,000 (immediate need)