The Evolution of Gondar's Public Health College and Training Center: Che-Che-la from an Italian Consular Office to a Medical College

Gondar's Public Health College and Training Center (PHC&TC), as it was originally named, has also been known since 1961 as Gondar Medical College, or by the local townsfolk interchangeably as Asbadale or Che-Che-la. PHC&TC was established in 1954, when the city's population was less than 20,000. Today, Gondar has more than 200,000 people, yet PHC&TC continues as the only medical establishment in the city and province despite a complex set of health concerns, including the pandemic HIV-AIDS, that beset the city, the region, and Ethiopia at large.

This paper reviews the founding and development of PHC&TC, and thus the progress of modern higher education in Gondar. It also explores the impact of the medical college on the city; the challenges it faced from both government officials and the townspeople during the reign of Haile Sellassie (1930–1974); the changes it underwent under the Marxist regime of Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam (1974–1991); and its current state as it deals with financial constraints, lack of infrastructural development, and a shortage of trained manpower.