TİKA Supports the Health Infrastructure of Somalia

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) established a Patient Monitoring and Management System at the Banaadir Maternity and Children State Hospital in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

TİKA provided equipment and technical training for the establishment of a Patient Monitoring and Management System at the Banaadir Maternity and Children State Hospital, a state hospital that is located in Mogadishu and offers free or low-cost service, depending on the economic status of patients.

At the hospital, which was founded in 1976, patient records had been kept in hard copy ever since, which caused serious problems in monitoring the medical conditions of patients. The electronic Patient Monitoring and Management System installed by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) eliminated this problem. The purpose of the system was to strengthen the hospital’s infrastructure and to enable the hospital to serve more quickly and effectively under modern conditions.

Every year, nearly 9,000 babies are born in the 500-bed hospital, where nearly 60,000 patients, who are mostly low-income families and children, are treated.

The opening ceremony held for the department after the installation of the Patient Monitoring and Management System was attended by Dr. Fartun Sharif, who is the chief physician of the Banaadir Maternity and Children State Hospital and graduated from a university in Türkiye; Dr. Amina Hassan, the assistant chief physician of the hospital; Hassan Abukar, the head of technical services at the hospital; Mohamed Abdullahi, the technical training officer of the contractor; İlhami Turus, TİKA’s Coordinator in Somalia; and the hospital staff.

In her speech at the opening ceremony, Chief Physician Sharif noted that TİKA contributed greatly to the infrastructure of the hospital and the development of the hospital staff and that their country and people were proud that Türkiye and TİKA were active in their country.

Hassan Abukar, the head of technical services at the hospital, stressed that TİKA was there for all Somali people, not only with public institutions, but also with its own knowledge and experience. He said, “The Republic of Türkiye was there for us in the most difficult times. The people of Somalia will always be grateful.”

İlhami Turus, TİKA’s Coordinator in Somalia, stated that TİKA has been active in Somalia for 11 years and has carried out many projects and activities that touch every aspect of life, such as health, agriculture, and environment, with its qualified, knowledgeable, and experienced staff.

Turus added,

“Projects for the strengthening of the health infrastructure and the improvement of the professional knowledge and skills of healthcare providers have a major place in TİKA’s activities. In this context, we firmly believe that the relations and cooperation between these two countries will continue to improve and become stronger in the field of health, as in other fields.”