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Dhobley Vaccination Campaign

Somalia

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Our commitment to accessing and assisting people in need in Somalia remains steadfast.

Over the past four decades, our teams have responded to recurring humanitarian and health emergencies caused by conflict, climate-related events such as widespread flooding and recurring droughts, as well as outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, measles, and COVID-19. 

Today, we continue to work in hospitals in Somalia and Somaliland, providing obstetric and paediatric care, in- and out- patient nutritional support, emergency services, and tuberculosis care. Our teams also run mobile clinics providing basic healthcare in camps for internally displaced people and host communities. 
 
We carry out vaccination campaigns and respond to nutritional crises where feasible. MSF also provides resources to conduct ‘eye camps’, which reach thousands of people with eye diseases. 

A major part of our work involves specialised training for healthcare staff and capacity building, along with rehabilitating hospitals, and expanding and improving the state of water, sanitation and hygiene services.

Our activities in 2023 in Somalia

Data and information from the International Activity Report 2023.

MSF in Somalia in 2023 In Somalia, Médecins Sans Frontières continued to respond to the medical needs of people displaced by ongoing conflict and extreme weather events, and to support services in Ministry of Health facilities.
Somalia IAR map 2023

In 2023, the dire humanitarian situation was exacerbated when two years of drought were followed by severe floods, affecting over two million people. Around 1.2 million were displaced* and 118 died, against a backdrop of longstanding conflict and recurrent disease outbreaks.

In Baidoa, the capital of South West state, our teams provided healthcare for people displaced by conflict and flooding. At Bay regional hospital, our services included comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care, outpatient clinics, and an inpatient ward for paediatric healthcare, as well as therapeutic feeding centres. We decentralised general healthcare in seven locations within the town to facilitate referrals for maternal and child health services to Bay regional hospital for specialised care.

In Galkayo North, Puntland state, we continued to support the maternity and paediatric departments at the regional hospital and treat malnutrition and tuberculosis (TB). We also sent mobile teams to 23 camps for displaced people. In Galkayo South, we supported the Mudug Development Organization’s hospital, by running maternal and child health services, treating malnutrition and TB, and responding to emergencies.

In June, we handed over our multidrug-resistant TB project to the Ministry of Health Development in Somaliland, where our support with case identification, diagnostics and holistic care for patients since 2019 had successfully led to reduced fatality rates and improved cure rates.

We maintained basic and specialised healthcare activities in Kalabaydh in Sool region, but were forced to withdraw our services from Las Anod general hospital in July due to high insecurity.

In December, we closed our project in Dhobley, South Jubaland, close to the border with Kenya. Since 2017, our teams had delivered healthcare through mobile clinics, treating malnutrition and infectious diseases, conducting outpatient consultations and measles vaccinations, responding to cholera outbreaks, performing cataract surgery, and distributing eyeglasses.

*UNOCHA

 

in 2023
 
Challenges in Accessing Mother and Child HealthCare, Baidoa- Somalia
Somalia

Barriers to care have deadly consequences for women and children in Baidoa

Project Update 8 Aug 2024
 
Am Timan Hospital
Somalia

Extreme violence in Las Anod forces MSF to close activities 

Press Release 24 Jul 2023
 
Mobile clinic in the South Omo zone
Cholera

Urgent action needed to tackle cholera across Horn of Africa

Voices from the Field 13 Jul 2023
 
 Somaliland: MSF hands over MDR-TB project to the Ministry of Health Development.
Somalia

Recovering from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Somaliland

Project Update 28 Jun 2023
 
Baidoa Malnutrition Crises
Somalia

An alarming cycle of drought, malnutrition and disease in Baidoa

Project Update 12 Oct 2022
 
Bay Regional Hospital, Baidoa, Somalia
Somalia

Drought intensifies health crises across Somalia and Somaliland

Project Update 7 Jun 2022