Background: The poor quality of health professional education in Ethiopia, which was rooted in a traditional curriculum, has posed significant challenges for graduates in effectively addressing real -life health problems. In response, there has been curricular reform by adopting problem -based learning across Ethiopian medical schools. Given the dearth of literature on the topic and the significance of context in the effective implementation of problem -based learning, it is imperative to provide local institutional evidence to pinpoint critical intervention areas and support the effective implementation of problem -based learning. Methods: A qualitative design based on in-depth, individual, semi -structured interviews was used to explore medical educators, program coordinators, and educational leader's experiences and perspectives on the problem -based learning implementation in health sciences education. A total of 24 participants recruited from five undergraduate health science programs participated in the study. All sessions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Results were analyzed following a qualitative thematic analysis method. Results: Analysis of the transcripts revealed three main themes, along with their corresponding subthemes. Within the first main theme, participants discussed the importance of integrating Problem -Based Learning into undergraduate medical programs and the educational benefits it brings to medical education. The second main theme explored issues related to challenges in implementing problem -based learning which include inadequate staff training, deficiencies in curricular design and governance, constraints in educational resources, and a lack of preparedness in the educational environment. The third theme deals with the strategic recommendations to address the challenges that contributed to the poor implementation of problem -based learning in undergraduate medical schools. Conclusion: Our study has addressed several issues related to the implementation of Problem -Based Learning in Ethiopian Health Sciences Colleges. The study's findings have the potential to provide educational stakeholders and policymakers with essential information to strategize successful problem -based learning implementation in undergraduate medical schools.
