Deadly delays: How funding gaps are undermining health care in Somalia
Multiple factors hinder access to care. Poverty, insecurity, distance, and cultural barriers all significantly delay treatment. Hassan, a father from Afurow village, tragically lost his wife during childbirth at home due to the absence of health facilities and skilled birth attendants. Hassan struggled as a single caregiver to a newborn son who soon fell critically…
Multiple factors hinder access to care. Poverty, insecurity, distance, and cultural barriers all significantly delay treatment. Hassan, a father from Afurow village, tragically lost his wife during childbirth at home due to the absence of health facilities and skilled birth attendants. Hassan struggled as a single caregiver to a newborn son who soon fell critically ill. “He had diarrhea and vomiting, and medicines from local pharmacies didn’t help,” Hassan recalls. After two months of deteriorating health, Hassan learned of MSF’s free services in Baidoa. “I borrowed about $130 and traveled around 90 miles to reach Baidoa Hospital,” he explains. What began as a desperate situation has turned into hope, as his son is receiving essential treatment and nutritional care.
MSF has been supporting Bay Regional Hospital since 2017, providing emergency obstetric, neonatal, pediatric, and nutritional care. In 2024 alone, MSF treated over 14,000 children for malnutrition, conducted more than 38,000 pediatric consultations, assisted over 2,800 births, and carried out approximately 35,000 reproductive health consultations all free of charge. Yet despite these efforts, the region’s maternal and child health situation remains critical, especially after recent funding cuts.
