In Somalia, pregnant women in rural and conflict-affected areas can face overwhelming obstacles when trying to access lifesaving healthcare. A limited number of functional health facilities and shortages of skilled birth attendants leave many women with no choice but to give birth at home—a dangerous proposition in a country with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.
In Baidoa, a city in south-central Somalia that is one of the country’s largest displacement hubs, International Medical Corps recently constructed a new maternity unit at Suuqa Xoolaha Health Center, bringing new hope to local families. Once known as Somalia’s breadbasket, Baidoa has become home to more than 600,000 internally displaced people who have fled years of drought, conflict and insecurity. These overlapping crises have placed enormous pressure on the healthcare system.
“This maternity unit has brought hope back to our community,” says Dr. Ahmed Omar Mohamed, a physician who previously worked for International Medical Corps and now volunteers at Suuqa Xoolaha Health Center. “For many years, we worked in overcrowded rooms with very limited space, making it difficult to provide mothers with the privacy, safety and quality of care they deserved. We now have a facility that reflects the standard of care we want to provide. Mothers no longer have to worry about giving birth in inadequate conditions.”
Construction began on April 25 and was completed June 25. In early July, International Medical Corps officially handed over the new maternity unit to Somalia’s Southwest State Ministry of Health, marking an important milestone for the community. The new maternity unit, which replaces two deteriorated rooms that did not meet the minimum standards for maternal and newborn healthcare, includes dedicated spaces for triage, pre-delivery care, delivery, post-delivery recovery, a waiting area and bathrooms, providing a safe and dignified environment for mothers and their babies.
International Medical Corps also conducted five days of refresher training for four midwives and three assistant midwives working at Suuqa Xoolaha Health Center on basic emergency obstetric and newborn care. The training—which was conducted by Dr. Ahmed and Dr. Fatima Abshir, another former staff member and current volunteer—strengthened the staff’s ability to recognize and manage complications during labor and delivery, for both the mother and baby. Together, the improved infrastructure and enhanced clinical skills have markedly improved the health center’s capacity to provide quality maternal and newborn care.
Despite these important achievements, the community’s needs remain significant. Baidoa continues to receive displaced families, increasing the demand for healthcare services every month—even as funding falls. In response, like many frontline health workers across the country, Dr. Ahmed and several of his colleagues continue to serve their community voluntarily, determined that no mother will be left without care during one of the most critical moments of her life.
“Many of us continue working as volunteers because this community depends on us,” Dr. Ahmed explains. “Every pregnant woman who comes through our doors deserves skilled care, regardless of her circumstances. This new maternity unit gives us renewed motivation to serve our people.”
One of the women benefiting from the new maternity unit is Farhia Ali Adan, a 26-year-old pregnant mother of four living in one of Baidoa’s settlements for internally displaced people. Like thousands of other families, Farhia and her family fled their village after successive droughts destroyed their crops and livestock, forcing them to seek safety in Baidoa. Throughout her current pregnancy, she has attended regular antenatal care visits at Suuqa Xoolaha Health Center, where she watched the new maternity unit take shape.
“Every time I came for my antenatal care visits, I watched the building grow,” Farhia says. “Seeing the new maternity unit gives me confidence that when my baby is ready to come, I will deliver in a clean and safe place with trained health workers beside me. It gives me hope that my child will have a healthy start to life.”
At a time when humanitarian needs continue to grow, and funding for health services in Somalia is shrinking, the new maternity unit acts as more than a building. It is a lasting investment in safer motherhood, stronger health services and healthier beginnings for thousands of mothers and newborns.
Learn more about our work in Somalia and our innovative approaches to maternal healthcare around the world.