From Malnutrition Treatment to Emergency Delivery

Under the scorching sun of rural Awdinle District in Bay Region, where healthcare services are nonexistent, Fadumo Hassan faced one of the most difficult moments of her life.

Seven months pregnant and already caring for her three-year-old son, Salim, Fadumo watched helplessly as her son's condition worsened. His tiny feet became swollen, and a persistent fever drained his strength day by day. Living nearly 30 kilometres west of Baidoa City, the family had no immediate access to medical care. With no options left, Fadumo made a painful decision to risk the long journey in search of help.

A perilous journey

Assisted by a kind neighbor, she carefully placed her sick child on the back of a donkey cart. The slow, exhausting journey stretched across dry, rugged terrain, each step filled with uncertainty. For Fadumo, it was more than a journey; it was a race against time. After a full day of trekking, they finally reached Baidoa City.

“That early morning, when I left, I was not sure Salim would make it to the hospital. He was at his lowest point. He could hardly move any part of his body.”

When they finally arrived in Baidoa City, Fadumo didn’t know where the hospital was, but she recognized it as ‘SOS Hospital,' a name that nearly 1 million people in the city call it. People directed her, and the donkey cart stopped at the gate of the hospital, Baidoa District Hospital, supported by SOS Children’s Villages.

An SOS Children’s Villages ambulance transports patients to Baidoa District Hospital in Baidoa.

Minutes that made the difference

Upon arrival, Salim was unconscious and weak. Our health teams immediately sprang into action, scooped him up and rushed to the emergency room. After examination, the diagnosis was heartbreaking: severe acute malnutrition. He weighed only 6.7 kilograms, with a mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) of just 10.4 centimetres, a clear sign of extreme nutritional vulnerability.

He was moved to the stabilization centre (SC), a section where children with life-threatening malnutrition, along with medical complications and poor appetites are kept to stabilize and improve their health.

Baidoa District Hospital’s stabilization centre (SC) ward, where severely malnourished children are treated

In May alone, the Stabilization Centre (SC) in Baidoa District Hospital treated 171 children, more than double the number seen in previous months. The increase in displacement and the rapid expansion of internally displaced persons (IDP) settlements, coupled with limited water and sanitation facilities, have created ideal conditions for the spread of diseases such as measles and cholera.

“Since March, we have seen a significant increase in the number of severely malnourished children brought to Baidoa District Hospital,” says Mohamud Mohamed, hospital administrator. “Our Stabilization Centre (SC) previously had a capacity of 20 beds, but we had to expand it to 40 beds to accommodate the growing caseload. Even that has not been enough, and we have been forced to place mattresses on the floor because we cannot turn children away.”

For seven days, Salim’s mother remained by his side, holding on to hope as the health and nutrition team worked tirelessly to stabilize him, including feeding him therapeutic milk and treating other underlying health conditions.

“By the time they arrived here, the child was unconscious. We did everything we could to bring him back to life. We were successful. For whatever reason, if that child had been delayed by a few hours, we would have lost him, just as we have seen happen in the past,” says Sadia, a nutrition nurse.

An unexpected arrival

Then, something completely unexpected happened.

On the seventh day, while still in the hospital, Fadumo suddenly went into premature labour, which caught everyone off guard, including herself.

Amid the urgency, the medical team swiftly shifted their focus and wheeled her into the maternity ward, where she was placed under specialized care. Four hours later, Fadumo delivered a premature baby boy weighing only 1.3 kilograms. At that same time, Salim, unaware of what was unfolding, remained under the careful watch of nurses at the stabilization centre (SC).

A children's doctor monitors the heartbeat of Fadumo’s premature newborn during a routine examination at Baidoa District Hospital.

The newborn was fragile and required immediate, life-saving care. Our health teams conducted a comprehensive screening: checking his blood sugar levels, temperature, pulse rate, breathing, and oxygen saturation. Every second mattered. He was placed under close observation in a neonatal incubator and started on essential treatment, including intravenous fluids, 10% dextrose, and antibiotics (Ampicillin and Gentamicin) to protect him from infection and support his recovery.

“I didn’t notice any signs of labour. It happened quickly,” Fadumo says, covering her child’s face with a towel. “I am happy it happened in a hospital because in my village, you don’t get the facilities to manage an unborn child. They usually die after a few hours.”

Tears of Gratitude

Fadumo held her newborn close as health workers gently guided her through the first steps of breastfeeding. In that quiet moment, hope began to replace fear. Later that day, she was reunited with baby Salim, once fragile, now slowly regaining strength.

Two weeks had passed since Salim began treatment. Day by day, his condition improved—he began feeding well, sleeping peacefully, and responding to the world around him. After a final examination, the nurses smiled with relief: Salim had recovered and was ready to go home.

The news was shared by Faiza, the nurse on duty, whose words carried joy and relief. It was time for them to leave the hospital and return home as a healthy family.

Overwhelmed by emotion, Fadumo paused. She turned to the staff who had stood by her through every difficult moment and embraced them, tears filling her eyes.

Fadumo thanks the health team for their dedication and life-saving care that helped her, Salim, and her newborn recover.

“I am lucky I walked into this facility,” she said softly. “From the watchmen to the cleaners and nurses, you saved my family. Thank you.”

As Somalia continues to face rising fuel prices and transport costs driven by the US-Iran conflict, access to essential healthcare is becoming increasingly difficult for many families. The closure of more than 500 health centers, with hundreds of others facing imminent shutdown, combined with ongoing drought and malnutrition crises, makes urgent support more critical than ever.

Fadumo and her sons’ experience underscores both the urgency of these challenges and the life-saving impact that sustained funding, timely support, and accessible services can have during humanitarian crises.

Supported by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) through the Caafimaad Plus Consortium, Baidoa District Hospital is helping bridge the gap between vulnerable communities and essential healthcare and nutrition services, amid the worsening humanitarian crisis.