Edna Hospital of Somaliland

Somaliland: Country Background

The Republic of Somaliland, formerly British Somaliland Protectorate, became Independent on June 26, 1960. It merged with the former Italian Colony of Somalia when it too became Independent on July 1, 1960. This merger was, however, doomed from the start because of economical, cultural and administrative differences and problems that made themselves felt very soon after the union of these two Somali Nations.

Here is the old Hargeisa Nursing School destroyed in the civil war

As a result, the people of Somaliland took steps to disassociate themselves from Somalia as early as 1961.

Regretably, it took a long and protracted civil war between the people of Somaliland and the troops of the former Dictator Siyad Barre, for the sovereignty of Somaliland to be finally restored on May 18, 1991. During those years of struggle, the cities of Somaliland were bombed and ruthlessly blown to bits, over half a million Somalilanders lost their lives, and millions fled the country to seek refuge either in neighbouring countries or elsewhere in the world where they could find shelter.

Mass grave of innocent Somaliland civilians killed by troops of Somalia's dictator Siyad Barre

These vicissitudes have been well-documented by the United Nations and other International Human Rights bodies who have witnessed the extent of the destruction the entire country had suffered and also how its schools and health services were razed to the ground.

An added tragedy was the death or disappearance of trained professionals who had served in the health services of the country. The result being that those health facilities, which recently have been rehabilitated (meagre as they are), suffer from a serious and ongoing deficiency of trained health manpower.

Trained nurse caring for Mother and Child

Health Profile of the People of Somaliland

The health of the people of Somaliland is among the worst in Africa. This statement is supported by the fact that even before the civil war and the separation of the two Somali states, Somalia had one of the highest Maternal and Child Mortality rates in the world (Ref. UNICEF, The Progress of Nations, 1997, 160 maternal deaths per 10,000 live births).

While recent valid data is not available, what national Maternal and Child Mortality rates have become after the destruction that has taken place in country is a frightening thought.

• One out of 8 babies dies before the age of 12 months
• Every year nearly 4,000 Somali women die in childbirth
• One out of 5 children dies before the age of five
• Life expectancy is only 48 years

Services Provided by the Edna Adan Hospital

Since the existing Public Maternal and Gynaecological facilities were over-crowded, ill-equipped and under-staffed, the establishment of the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital has provided much needed Reproductive Health Care to meet the requirements of the expanding population of Hargeisa and in the rest of Somaliland.

Nursing students at Edna Maternity Hospital

The Hospital has been designed to be run according to strict internationally accepted maternity and childcare standards. With the services and supervision that is carried out by highly qualified medical, midwifery and nursing personnel, it is possible to provide patients with the type and quality of personalized care that women and their babies everywhere have a right to expect.

It is gratifying to note that during the short time that the hospital has been functional; the facility has become a referral hospital for obstetrical emergencies. Cases with severe complications have been received from a wide geographical area in the Horn of Africa, including from all parts of Somaliland, Somalia, as well as from the 5th Region of Ethiopia.

Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) of the patients referred or admitted to the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital from March 2002 to 31 May 2008 has been dramatically lower than the national rate and has been 32 deaths out of the 7494 women who were delivered, or who were referred to the hospital after being delivered elsewhere. This makes the MMR for this Hospital 42.7/10,000. With continued training of personnel, and with better equipment and supplies, we are confident that we can reduce this figure even further.

The Hospital's Objectives

The second graduating class of nurses

• To make available in Somaliland a modern, well-equipped and efficient health care facility that provides a much higher standard of patient care than that which was previously available to women and children.
• To make available a model Health Care Institution, which provides not only good health care, but which also provides Training and Research opportunities to Medical and Para-Medical personnel.
• To serve as an example to others and thus encourage national as well as international initiatives to invest in health services in order to improve the over-all welfare of the nation.
• To make available to women and children 69 beds for Obstetrical, Neonatal care and general patient care, including Incubators for premature babies.
• To make available to women Pre-Natal and Post-Natal outpatient services, as well as Immunization for women and children.
• To make available to women and children, diagnostic Laboratory facilities as well as a Blood Bank for emergencies.
• To make available Ultrasound and visual monitoring facilities.
• To make available treatment for Gynaecological problems including Management of Infertility, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases including testing for HIV/AIDS and providing counselling as appropriate.
• To make available facilities for carrying out medical research, studies and counselling, with particular attention to the health problems associated with Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), as part of the Comprehensive Reproductive Health services that are offered by the hospital.
• In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and WHO, carry out training programs for health workers, with particular attention to the training of Nurses and Midwives.

Conclusion

New mother and baby, safe and being cared for

With the interest of the community at heart, the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital is a facility that has been conceived and donated by the family of Edna Adan Ismail.

Beneficiaries of the Hospital include:

• Women of child bearing age, under-five children and adults in Somaliland who seek inpatient, outpatient and emergency care in Reproductive Health-related or other health problems.
• Health workers who are trained or who are employed by the facility, as well as those who practice healthcare throughout the country.

In addition to providing much-needed Maternal and Child Health Care services to women and children, the hospital has become a teaching institution for health workers and a pioneering example which is proving to everyone the resilience and determination of the people of Somaliland.

It is also hoped that it will demonstrate what communities can achieve through sheer determination and self-help towards activities that influence their general well being.

Now that we have returned to our country after long years of hardship, suffering and war, it is now up to us to rebuild the country and once more make Somaliland a place that is safe and fit for its children.