Somalia keeps nearly 600 health facilities open after emergency funding push

Mogadishu (HOL) — Nearly 600 health facilities across Somalia were at risk of closure because of a decline in health funding, Health and Social Care Minister Dr. Ali Haji Adan said Tuesday.

Briefing Parliament’s Social Services Development Committee in Mogadishu, Ali Haji said the facilities depended heavily on external funding, which had dropped significantly, threatening the continuity of health services.

The minister said Somalia’s health sector has long relied on donor support, particularly because much of the country’s domestic revenue is allocated to security.

“The drop in funding has severely impacted the health sector,” he said.

Ali Haji said the ministry is working to secure sustainable financing for the at-risk facilities to ensure communities continue receiving health services.

The funding decline comes as Somalia faces widespread health needs, particularly in maternal and child health services and access to care in areas far from major cities.

Despite the financial challenges, the minister said the country had made progress in expanding health services in recent years.

He said vaccination coverage had risen from about 40% when he took office to more than 70%, while access to basic health services had increased from 42% to more than 65%.

Ali Haji also said maternal mortality had fallen from 692 to 563 deaths per 100,000 births, though he acknowledged the figure remained far higher than the government’s target.

The minister said the ministry plans to recruit hundreds of midwives across the country to expand maternal and child health services to districts and villages that currently lack adequate care.

Ali Haji made the remarks during a meeting with the Social Services Committee of Somalia’s Federal Parliament, where he was questioned about the ministry’s performance, funding challenges and plans to improve health services.