Geriatric Medicine in Ethiopia: A Narrative Review of Physician Training Gaps and Interdisciplinary Team Establishment

Background: Geriatric Medicine is a medical specialty concerned with the health and wellbeing of older adults. Despite the rapid increase in the geriatric population in Ethiopia, the access to specialized care among older patients is limited. There are significant gaps in integrating geriatric competencies across the medical curriculum and the interdisciplinary team for geriatric medicine in Ethiopia. Methods: A narrative review was conducted via PubMed and Google Scholar to identify studies on Geriatric Medicine in Ethiopia. The literature search was supplemented by targeted web searches and reference snowballing. Results: No directly related literature was identified during the initial search. Furthermore, implementation of the Geriatrics framework in Ethiopia is critically limited by a severe lack of specialized training and curricula. This lack of knowledge leads to various clinical misdiagnoses and service gaps. On the other hand, an international academic partnership in 2024 successfully initiated the integration of core geriatric topics into medical training. Conclusion: Strengthening the geriatric workforce requires formal recognition, structured training, and the active integration of multidisciplinary care teams across Ethiopia.