Somali Hospitals Turn Tide for Newborns with Vital Aid
Life-Saving Equipment Fuels Hope in Mogadishu’s Neonatal Units
A desperate wait for breath is now a story of survival for many premature infants in Mogadishu, as critically needed medical equipment transforms neonatal intensive care.
New Hope for Fragile Lives
Faduma Mohamed faced a terrifying silence after her daughter’s premature birth at Banadir Hospital. The newborn was critically underweight and struggling to breathe. Previously, the hospital’s neonatal unit lacked essential resources like incubators and oxygen support, leaving many infants’ survival in peril.
“When my daughter was placed in the incubator and given oxygen, her condition began to improve,” Faduma shared, her daughter now thriving.
“Now We Can Save Them”
Despite a 50 percent drop in maternal deaths in Somalia over two decades, access to essential health services remains a challenge for many. Only 30 percent of public health facilities are fully operational for emergency obstetric and neonatal care.
The recent influx of maternal and newborn health equipment, funded by Saudi Arabia through KSrelief, has dramatically improved care. New incubators, heaters, and oxygen units have allowed for the addition of four new neonatal care units.
“Now hundreds of Somali newborns, especially from families who cannot afford private hospitals, can benefit. We used to have to turn them away. Now we can save them.”
—Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Salad, Head of the Newborn Care Department
The impact extends to maternal surgeries as well. Previously, inadequate lighting and a lack of anaesthesia machines at Banadir and Dayniile Hospitals led to perilous delays for procedures like obstetric fistula repairs.
“We couldn’t properly anaesthetize them. There were many crisis situations where we couldn’t stabilize patients.”
—Dr. Ahmed, Senior Surgeon at Dayniile Hospital
With modern equipment, surgeries can now be performed swiftly and safely.
A Daughter’s Breath, A Mother’s Hope
Head midwife Nimca Mohamed Badane notes that hypothermia, which previously claimed many newborns, is now largely preventable. Radiant warmers ensure newborns remain stable, with over 99 percent of preterm babies surviving.
For mothers like Faduma, this vital equipment offers a lifeline between despair and hope.
“I will never forget how I felt,” Faduma stated. “But now, every time I hear her breathing, I know she’s here because someone cared enough to help us.”
Funding Gaps Threaten Progress
While global maternal deaths have decreased by 40 percent since 2000, over 700 women still die daily from preventable causes during childbirth. In Somalia, fragile progress is threatened by drastic funding cuts, exacerbated by climate crises and conflict.
Midwife Maryama Mohamed Isse, working in a camp for displaced people, shared the frustration of lacking medical supplies for urgent cases.
“One of the most discouraging moments in my work is when patients urgently seek treatment, but we lack the medical supplies to help them properly. In those moments, I feel hopeless but still try to offer support with my own resources. When a mother comes to you and you can’t afford her medicines, you can feel how painful it is.”
—Maryama Mohamed Isse, Midwife
UNFPA requires $45 million for life-saving services in Somalia in 2025 but has only received 3 percent of this amount. Continued support is crucial to ensure more mothers and newborns survive childbirth.
In a stark reminder of the stakes, the World Health Organization reported that in 2022, an estimated 287,000 women died during pregnancy and childbirth globally, with a disproportionate number in low-resource settings (WHO, 2023).
