Mogadishu (HO) -โฃ Somalia’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare,Dr. Ali Haji Aden, on Sunday facedโ questioning from the Parliamentary Committee on Social Services regarding the October 26 โincident at Banadir Hospital, where a woman reportedly gave birth at the hospital gate after being denied admission while in labor.
During the session, Minister Aden detailed the case to lawmakers and outlined Banadir Hospital’s services, including maternalโ and child healthcare, general medicine, emergency response, โคmalnutrition treatment, and care for HIV and cancer โpatients.โข He identified staff shortages relative to patient volume as aโ key factor contributing to service delivery delays.
Following the briefing,the Committee conducted an oversight visit โto Banadir Maternity and Children’s Hospital,touring departments andโ speaking โwith patients. Committee chairpersonโ hon. Nadra Salah Abdi affirmed continued oversight of the Banadir Hospital case and the performance of public hospitals nationwide.
The Ministry announced on Friday the appointment of Abdirisaaq Sharif โAli as the new Director General of Banadir Maternity and Child โฃHospital. Several staff members on duty during the october 26 incident have โbeen suspendedโข pending the outcome of an autonomous investigation, with further administrative changesโข anticipated to enhance accountability andโข openness.
The incident, which sparked national โoutrage after witnesses reported the woman was turned awayโข in active labor and delivered with the assistance โof a passerby, remains under formal government investigation. Both the mother andโข newborn were reported to be in critical condition. โคThe case has fueled public โขcalls for systemic reform within somalia’s healthcare system, which has long struggledโฃ with โคmismanagement, underfunding, and resource limitations.
