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Notes on running a better clinic

Practical, no-fluff guides on the things that quietly make or break a clinic — fewer no-shows, less paper, cleaner billing, and patients who come back.

Operations
12 min read

What It Actually Costs to Set Up a Clinic Management System in Ethiopia

A device at every station, a network to connect them, and somewhere for the data to live. Here is the real bill of materials — with August 2026 Addis Ababa prices — and a calculator that adds it up for your clinic.

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A health worker standing outside an Ethiopian health centreOperations
6 min read

Nine Years of Change in One Report: Reading the 2024–25 EDHS

Ethiopia's first full national health survey since 2016 shows one of the fastest climbs in skilled birth attendance ever recorded — alongside a childhood vaccination rate that went backwards. The pattern says something specific about follow-through.

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Front page of the Federal Negarit Gazette carrying Proclamation No. 1321/2024Compliance
6 min read

Proclamation 1321/2024: Patient Data Is Now a Legal Duty

Ethiopia's first comprehensive data protection law puts health information in its most protected category — with a 72-hour breach clock, a registration duty, and real sanctions. Here's what it asks of a clinic.

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Two people seated on chairs in a clinic waiting areaPatient Experience
5 min read

The Ninety-Minute Wait

At one Ethiopian referral hospital, the average outpatient waited 90 minutes to be seen — and only 14% were seen inside the 50-minute mark. The measured causes are not clinical. They are clerical.

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A clinician reviewing a daily appointment scheduleNo-Shows
2 min read

Seven Ways to Reduce No-Shows in Your Clinic

Empty appointment slots quietly drain revenue and disrupt your schedule. Here are seven practical, low-cost tactics that consistently bring patients back through the door.

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Stacks of paper patient files on a deskGoing Paperless
2 min read

Going Paperless Without the Chaos

Moving from paper charts to digital records feels daunting, but it doesn't have to be. A staged approach lets your clinic transition without losing a single patient file.

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