Doctor Opens A Unique Treatment Center in Addis Ababa

Doctor Opens A Unique

Treatment Center

in Addis Ababa
“It is about time that someone did something about this epidemic,” says a Professor of Psychology at the University of Addis Ababa

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By WT, CHEWATA’s Medical Reporter in Addis Ababa
© Article copyrighted to Ethiopis.com and CHEWATA

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A doctor who is a graduate of the Addis Ababa University and  specializes in Psychology, Dr. Befekadu Wondimu, has opened a treatment center in Addis Ababa, which is the first of its kind, to treat patients, as he put it to CHEWATA, ” from various diseases which were not previously diagnosed as illnesses in our society.”  Dr. Befekadu came to CHEWATA’s and other media’s attention because of his plans to treat behaviors, which previously, were never recognized in Ethiopia or Eritrea as diseases.  The new treatment center, opened blocks away from the Eri BeKentu neighborhood, is named Gomen Betena, and will be treating patients who are secretly suffering from various destructive behaviors among which are Hamet Syndrome, Alubaltegnenet Syndrome, Kinatitis C, Tenkolegnanet Syndrome, Wore Amelalashinet B Syndrome and Wore Maganen Syndrome, or as Dr. Befekadu put it, “Betiliku Regeta“.  According to the doctor, many people in Addis Ababa were laughing at his idea of such a center, but he says, many of the detractors are now on his long list of “first, experimental patients.”  “I know that people refuse to recognize these behaviors as diseases, but I have studied them and these behaviors are indeed curable, treatable diseases and no one has to suffer silently any longer.”  Dr. Befekadu says people have to know that he has come to his conclusions after an exhaustive medical research he has done for years.  “These have been proven to be diseases and patients have to be forced to admit them.    I know because I had suffered as a silent patient myself,” he added.

“Admit it and I will treat you”. (Dr. Befekadu)

Dr. Befekadu says the treatment center has been built and  came to fruition after many years of planning and some difficulties along the way.  “When we first presented my plan to our local authorities here in Addis Ababa, we faced tremendous challenge from people who were spreading unfounded rumors.  According to Dr. Befekadu, the rumors  incorrectly stated  that this new treatment center was being funded by the people who were running Amanuel Hospital which in recent years is losing its patient customers to the many,  privately owned hospitals which are “popping up all over Addis Ababa,” according to Tenenet, a bi-weekly medical journal published in Ethiopia.  Dr Befekadu says that rumor was in fact not true.  “Amanuel Hospital has never suffered lack of patients as these rumors had stated.  We found out that this rumor was being spread by people who suffer from Shibir Menzat Syndrome, an advanced form of the disease called Wore Maganen Syndrome.  A patient develops the disease Shibir Menzat Syndrome if he or she neglects to treat Wore Maganen Syndrome at its earliest stages, ” Dr. Befekadu explained.  Pulling out his sample charts, Dr Befekadu pointed to one columnar chart and said, “For example, I won’t give you the patient’s name, but here on this chart you see that this particular patient’s heart rate is extremely abnormal and his brain cell activity is basically dormant.  He is suffering from a treatable but dangerous sickness called Yalbelawun Makek Syndrome.  He keeps wondering and asking questions about stuff he has no business knowing about and that is resulting in a health crisis for him. Too many of our fellow citizens are suffering from this epidemic and once our treatment center opens, we intend to treat many patients who suffer from this illness.”   Dr. Befekdadu says that the first step in treating these previously ignored illnesses is “to admit that you suffer from it, come to our center, and follow our treatment plan.”  “I just had a patient yesterday who called to register for our treatment and said that he was suffering with Bizu Memegnet Syndrome, another disease included in my research. He said he wished he had as much money as Alamuddin and he can’t sleep because he wakes up every night sweating profusely thinking about how much money Alamuddin has.  He will be in our treatment center next month,” he added.

According to Dr. Befekadu, his office has registered hundreds of people who had agreed to be treated at his new center once it opens and most of the registrants are from various parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea.  “Hey if our Eritrean patients manage to get a visa to come here, we are ready to treat them.  Our plan is to open branches in various parts of Ethiopia within the next year, and we even have a Somali patient who registered last week to be treated for a disease called Mekebetater Syndrome, which is caused by excessive use of Khat (CHaT) and over the top Mirkana.”     Although many people in Addis ababa, including Dr. Yonas Melaku, a professor of Psychological Studies at the Addis Ababa Univerisity support Dr. Befekadu’s research and treatment plans, some question the wisdom of opening such a center in the middle of Addis Ababa.  “I think he is going to be opposed by many Addis Ababa businesses if he opens his treatment center in the middle of Addis Ababa,” explained Worku Metaferia, an owner of Aand Yatalal Tela BetMeshualekia.  “Many of my customers are terrified.  A customer of mine who had been a loyal customer for 14 years came to me the other day and told me that all his friends who used to come to the Aand Yatalal Tela Bet with him had registered with this treatment thing and he is afraid that they will force him to be registered as well.  Why can’t this doctor take his act somewhere else, like Illubabor or something?” he asked angrily.  Dr. Befekadu rejected the assertion that he will be taking customers away from any body.  “The only thing I will be treating people for is for these destructive behaviors. Whether or not they decide to continue their dedicated relationships with the Tela Bets and Tej Bets is really up to the patients.” near

Dr. Befekadu has published a little booklet that will be handed to patients when they first show up at his center for treatment.  The booklet, entitled, “Beshitawon Yawkutal Woy?” lists over 80 “curable but ignored diseases and their symptoms.  On page 32 of the booklet is listed one of the illnesses called “YeKinat Syndrome”. Dr. Befekadu listed the following questions to be used in diagnosing YeKinat Syndrome:  are you sleeplessness at night thinking about that neighbor or friend who has a better looking house than you? Do you hate your friend secretly just because he has a great family with children and all you have is Buchi the dog?” On another line, diagnosing a disease called the YeNeger Syndrome, Dr. Bekekadu suggests the following questions to be used when dealing with potential patients: “Do you wake up every morning whispering to yourself ‘Zare KeMa ga Letala?”  Do you always answer your phone by saying “Men felegek/gsh?”  Do you get bored and yawn repeatedly because you think your neighborhood has too much peace?

According to Dr. Befekadu, asking these key diagnostic questions will help him pin point the disease his patients suffer.
“Because, yene wondim,” he added, “we have to admit our disease before we can treat it.  The first thing I did when I first experimented on myself was to look in the mirror and loudly say ‘Hello Ato Guregna!!!!‘  I was instantly cured of the Guregnanet Syndrome , a disease I had suffered since I was 19.  If I hadn’t treated that disease early, it would have developed into a very difficult to cure advanced stage which I call in my research  Gura BeYeDekikaw Menfat Syndrome.  As soon as I admitted it and confronted it, I was cured of it for good.”  Dr. Befekadu’s Gomen BeTena Center plans to officially open sometime in the middle of September.