# Wollega University > A public university in Nekemte, western Oromia, whose Institute of Health Sciences owns its own comprehensive specialized hospital and now trains specialists. It sits in EduRank's Ethiopian top ten for nursing, medicine, public health, OB-GYN and pharmacology research. Source: https://www.medicine.et/schools/wollega-university Site: Bloom Medicine — https://www.medicine.et Last updated: 2026-11-04 --- Public university · Nekemte, Oromia · founded 2007 · details checked November 4, 2026 ## Contact - Phone: +251 57 661 7981 (Main line (university and Institute of Health Sciences)) - Phone: +251 57 661 7980 (Second line / fax) — Shown as a phone number in the university's site header; the Institute of Health Sciences lists it as its fax - Email: info@wuihs.edu.et (Institute of Health Sciences) - Email: info@wollegauniversity.edu.et (General) - Website: https://wollegauniversity.edu.et - Address: Nekemte, East Wollega, Oromia (main campus on the edge of town, about 310 km west of Addis Ababa) - P.O. Box: P.O. Box 395, Nekemte - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wollega-University-Corporate-Communications-2319182621440303 ## Health programmes - Doctor of Medicine (MD) - Residency in General Surgery - Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology - Residency in Internal Medicine - Residency in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine (EMCC) - Nursing (comprehensive, emergency and critical care, pediatrics and neonatal, psychiatric) - Midwifery - Anesthesia - Pharmacy - Medical Laboratory Sciences - BSc Public Health (Health Officer) - BSc Post-basic Family Health - General MPH - MPH in Epidemiology - MPH in Reproductive Health - PhD in Public Health ## Health and medical education Wollega University's health programmes are run by the **Wollega (Wallaga) University Institute of Health Sciences (WUIHS)** in Nekemte. The institute has its own website and leadership, and it owns its teaching hospital. ### How it grew - **2000 E.C. (2007/08):** Health training began as a **Faculty of Health Sciences** with four programmes: Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and Medical Laboratory. - **2003 E.C. (2010/11):** Midwifery opened. - **2004 E.C. (2011/12):** Medicine opened, along with weekend master's programmes in public health. The World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS) gives 2012 for the start of MD teaching. - **2005 E.C. (2012/13):** The faculty became a College of Medical and Health Sciences. - **2010 E.C. (2017/18):** It became an **Institute of Health Sciences** after taking ownership of the referral hospital. ### Teaching hospital The hospital's foundation stone was laid in 1999 E.C. (2007). It opened in **Ginbot 2009 E.C. (May 2017)** with outpatient services and **203 inpatient beds** across four major departments, staffed by 72 health professionals. It is now called **Wallaga University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital**. Recent institute news reports new haemodialysis services and a CT scanner. The university also lists a centre of excellence in health sciences. ### Programmes The institute is organised into five directorates, or schools: Medicine; Nursing and Midwifery; Pharmacy; Public Health; and Medical Laboratory Sciences. Its department list includes: - **Medicine:** surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, pediatrics and child health, emergency and critical care, anaesthesia and biomedical sciences; - **Nursing:** comprehensive, emergency and critical care, pediatric and neonatal, and psychiatric nursing; - **Midwifery**; - **Pharmacy:** pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, and pharmaceutical supply chain management; - **Public health.** **Residency training is running.** In June 2026 the institute held final-year residency examinations in **General Surgery** and **Obstetrics and Gynecology**, and external exams for first-year residents in **Internal Medicine** and **Emergency and Critical Care Medicine (EMCC)**. Its gallery marks the first graduating class of internal medicine specialists in 2025. **Public health** is one of the institute's strongest areas: - Departments of Public Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Reproductive and Family Health; - an undergraduate **public health officer** (health officer) programme and a **BSc in Post-basic Family Health**; - **General MPH**, **MPH in Epidemiology** and **MPH in Reproductive Health**, in regular and weekend modes; - a **PhD in Public Health** since 2021/22, with four batches enrolled; - 110 undergraduate and 50 postgraduate students, and 51 staff. The WDOMS entry for the medical school carries no ECFMG sponsor note, unlike several other Ethiopian schools. If you plan to sit US licensing exams, check your eligibility with ECFMG directly. ### Rankings in health subjects Wollega does better on EduRank's research-based health lists than on overall tables. In Ethiopia it ranks: - **9th** for nursing (1,380th in the world), OB-GYN and pharmacology; - **10th** for medicine (2,734th in the world) and public health. ### Accreditation None of Wollega's health programmes appeared in the Education and Training Authority's new online accreditation register when we checked. The register held only 13 programmes nationwide, so this is not evidence of a problem, but ask for the certificate for your programme. ## The institution Wollega University was established in **February 2007**. It opened with 851 students in 17 departments under four faculties: Business and Economics, Education, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. The main campus is on the edge of **Nekemte**, about 310 km west of Addis Ababa, on 150 hectares with a view of Mount Komto. The university also runs campuses at **Gimbi** (opened January 2009, 110 km west of Nekemte) and **Shambu**. Health sciences are in Nekemte. The university describes itself as aiming to be one of Africa's top ten universities of applied sciences by 2042. It also runs a community radio station (WU FM 89.3), model schools and a model pharmacy. It is 13th in Ethiopia on EduRank's overall list and 32nd of 51 on uniRank's 2026 table. Regular undergraduate places are allocated through the Ministry of Education's national placement. The university also runs evening, weekend and other continuing-education programmes. ## Before you apply - **Health programmes are in Nekemte only.** If you are placed at Wollega for a health programme, you will study at the Institute of Health Sciences and its hospital, not at Gimbi or Shambu. - **Ask for the ETA accreditation status** of your programme. None appeared on the ETA's online register when we checked. - **Residency applicants:** surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, internal medicine and EMCC have current residents. Confirm intake numbers and external examiner arrangements with the School of Medicine. - **Public health postgraduates:** ask whether your MPH track is offered in regular or weekend mode, and about PhD supervision capacity. - **Phone lines:** use +251 57 661 7981 or info@wuihs.edu.et for the institute. The second number (…7980) is listed as a fax on the institute's site. ## Rankings - EduRank Medicine (Ethiopia / world): 10 / 2,734 (https://edurank.org/medicine/et/) - EduRank Nursing (Ethiopia / world): 9 / 1,380 (https://edurank.org/medicine/nursing/et/) - EduRank Public Health (Ethiopia / world): 10 / 1,408 (https://edurank.org/medicine/public/et/) - EduRank OB-GYN (Ethiopia / world): 9 / 1,589 (https://edurank.org/medicine/obgyn/et/) - EduRank Pharmacology (Ethiopia / world): 9 / 2,786 (https://edurank.org/medicine/pharmacology/et/) - EduRank overall (Ethiopia / world): 13 / 7,004 (https://edurank.org/geo/et/) - uniRank 2026 (Ethiopia): 32 of 51 (https://www.unirank.org/et/ranking/) ## Sources - [Wollega University Institute of Health Sciences: Background](https://wuihs.edu.et/index.php/about-us/background) - [Wollega University Institute of Health Sciences: home page (news, directorates, departments)](https://wuihs.edu.et/index.php) - [Wollega University Institute of Health Sciences: Public Health Academic and Service Directorate](https://wuihs.edu.et/index.php/about-the-school) - [WUIHS: Final-year residency examinations for General Surgery and Obstetrics & Gynecology](https://wuihs.edu.et/index.php/news-and-events/wallaga-university-institute-of-health-sciences-has-successfully-conducted-another-round-of-final-year-residency-examinations-for-general-surgery-and-obstetrics-gynecology) - [Wollega University: About Us](https://wollegauniversity.edu.et/index.php/about-us) - [Wollega University: home page](https://wollegauniversity.edu.et/) - [World Directory of Medical Schools: Wollega University College of Medical and Health Sciences (F0006383)](https://search.wdoms.org/home/SchoolDetail/F0006383) - [FDRE Education and Training Authority: Accredited Institutions & Programs](https://accreditation.neta.gov.et) - [EduRank: Best universities for Medicine in Ethiopia](https://edurank.org/medicine/et/) - [EduRank: Best universities for Nursing in Ethiopia](https://edurank.org/medicine/nursing/et/) - [EduRank: Best universities in Ethiopia](https://edurank.org/geo/et/) - [uniRank: 2026 Ethiopian University Ranking](https://www.unirank.org/et/ranking/)