The year 2020 has presented enormous challenges to this world. Despite the on-going armed conflict, Somalia has experienced a triple-threat; the invasion of locust, COVID-19 pandemic and floods.
SOS CV Somalia ensured the continuation and accessibility of essential health and nutrition services to vulnerable women and children in Somalia. SOS was among the frontline responders to the COVID-19 pandemic in Somalia, a COVID-19 Isolation center was established in Baidoa that provided diagnosis, testing, treatment and awareness raising on the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 in Somalia. 260 people were tested 63 were laboratory confirmed positive cases and 3 deaths.
'My country will be heavily challenged to fight COVID-19'
Dr Farhio Saney on her work at the SOS hospital in Mogadishu
"Growing up, I always wished to become a doctor. There were not sufficient hospitals in Somalia when I was growing up. It was much worse back then because of the outbreak of wars, droughts and diseases.
"Some hospitals are still not equipped with basic maternity services and the mortality rate of mothers in Somalia is very high. I am in charge of the maternity department in the SOS Children’s Villages Hospital in Somalia, where we offer free medical lab tests and caesarean section deliveries to women in need. I am very thrilled to be serving my community as a doctor as I am of the belief that it is a woman who understands the pain of another woman.
"As doctors, we continue to provide our services at the maternal and children's hospital now in the time of COVID-19. We face many challenges as a nation. Somalia is among the countries that does not have testing kits, so we send test samples for the coronavirus to neighboring countries and receive results after a number of days.
"At our hospital, we have designed face masks for our health workers, which will help with prevention. We have one staff member who is responsible for sewing face masks. We use a small piece of white cloth for making them and we hope this will help us with sustainably sourcing this necessity, which is scarce worldwide. We have so far produced 100 pieces and given 25 samples to the ministry of health, but we know this will not protect us from the virus fully.
"Most of the hospitals in Somalia are not well developed and lack most equipment. The ICU standard is not good and does not have sufficient ventilators so it is a big challenge for us to treat any mother or child that may come in with the virus in case they develop severe complications. We have prepared one room, which we use to check vitals of patients and demonstrate handwashing procedures before we refer them to other departments for consultation and outpatient referrals.
"I really hope this virus goes away soon because it really worries me whenever I watch the news about other countries and the difficult times they are going through, because I know my country will be heavily challenged to fight COVID-19."
Farhio Saney is a doctor at the SOS Mother and Child Hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia. She says her hospital has no choice but to produce masks as the price of one packet of face masks has jumped from $2 to $50.
SOS Children’s Villages Somalia is on the frontlines of administering the COVID-19 vaccine in the country. The SOS Hospital in Mogadishu, the largest vaccination center in Somalia, began vaccinating the elderly, health care workers, as well as teachers and police officers at the end of March. So far, nearly 900 people have been vaccinated at the SOS Hospital, with plans to vaccinate more than 10,500 against COVID-19 by the end of the year.
The vaccines are provided by the government and SOS Children’s Villages Somalia carries out the vaccination campaign, including raising awareness to encourage people in the community to get vaccinated. Staff members also do outreach in more remote, hard to reach areas.
Mohamed Dakane, Medical Director of the SOS Hospital, described some of the challenges they face. “False rumors circulating everywhere about the vaccines, including misinformation in social media, are the biggest obstacles to vaccination,” he says. “Accessing the internally displaced people and rural villages, and providing vaccines to them is also a big challenge.”
There is a need to print educational material with accurate information about the COVID-19 vaccine and to disseminate this to the public, he says. Also, personal protective equipment (PPE), facemasks, antiseptics and other infection prevention materials are still needed, Mr Dakane added.
Again, the SOS Hospital is the country’s largest vaccination center, providing 33,491 doses of vaccines to children below the age of 5 in 2020 alone. Similarly, 4,869 pregnant and lactating women received vaccinations against tetanus last year.
SOS Children’s Villages Somalia is on the frontlines of administering the COVID-19 vaccine in the country. The SOS Hospital in Mogadishu, the largest vaccination centre in Somalia, began vaccinating the elderly, health care workers, as well as teachers and police officers at the end of March. So far, nearly 900 people have been vaccinated at the SOS Hospital, with plans to vaccinate more than 10,500 against COVID-19 by the end of the year.
The vaccines are provided by the government and SOS Children’s Villages Somalia carries out the vaccination campaign, including raising awareness to encourage people in the community to get vaccinated. Staff members also do outreach in more remote, hard to reach areas.
Mohamed Dakane, Medical Director of the SOS Hospital, described some of the challenges they face. “False rumors circulating everywhere about the vaccines, including misinformation in social media, are the biggest obstacles to vaccination,” he says. “Accessing the internally displaced people and rural villages, and providing vaccines to them is also a big challenge.”
There is a need to print educational material with accurate information about the COVID-19 vaccine and to disseminate this to the public, he says. Also, personal protective equipment (PPE), facemasks, antiseptics and other infection prevention materials are still needed, Mr Dakane added.
Again, the SOS Hospital is the country’s largest vaccination centre, providing 33,491 doses of vaccines to children below the age of 5 in 2020 alone. Similarly 4,869 pregnant and lactating women received vaccinations against tetanus last year.