Somali National News Agency
So
Ar
Search
  • Home
  • Local News
    Local NewsShow More
    Somali President Appoints Mohamed Ali Nur as New Mogadishu Port Director
    August 28, 2025
    President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Meets with Djiboutian Foreign Minister in Mogadishu
    August 28, 2025
    Somali Foreign Minister Welcomes Djiboutian Counterpart to Mogadishu
    August 28, 2025
    Somali Government Provides Details on Visit of UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
    August 28, 2025
    Somalia’s Ambassador to Turkey Praises New Diplomatic Relations with Kazakhstan
    August 28, 2025
  • World News
    World NewsShow More
    Hamas accepts an Arab ceasefire proposal on Gaza as Palestinian death toll passes 62,000
    August 19, 2025
    “Gunman Kills 3 in Texas; Explosion in Pennsylvania Leaves 2 Dead”
    August 12, 2025
    Somali-American Candidate Abdirizak Mohamed Ali Runs for Mayor of Hopkins, Minnesota
    August 8, 2025
    Israel kills aid worker in Gaza amid rising starvation deaths, US envoy meets with hostages’ families
    August 3, 2025
    Ghana Donates 40 Metric Tonnes of Cocoa to Palestine in Act of Solidarity
    August 2, 2025
  • Articles
    ArticlesShow More
    Somalia’s Political Leaders Forge a Path to Democracy
    August 25, 2025
    Ode to Yan’an: How a Song Inspired Chinese Youth During Wartime
    August 19, 2025
    Somalia’s Story Is More Than the Siege Narrative. It’s Time the World Reported It That Way
    August 13, 2025
    Somali and Allied Forces Deal Major Blow to Al-Shabaab in Coordinated Offensive
    August 6, 2025
    Somalia’s Financial War Against Al-Shabaab: Key Achievements and Strategic Milestones (2022–2025)
    August 4, 2025
  • Business
    BusinessShow More
    Somalia Unveils the Blueprint for a Modern and Sustainable Mogadishu
    December 21, 2024
    Djibouti Launches $57.4 Million Youth Entrepreneurship Project to Combat Climate Change
    November 25, 2024
    FM meets Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia
    October 28, 2024
    President Hassan Sheikh Inaugurates New LPG Storage Center in Mogadishu
    May 12, 2024
    Collaboration of ICT transformation for digital Infrastructure
    October 24, 2023
  • Sports
    SportsShow More
    Mogadishu Stadium to Host Star-Studded Match Featuring Somali Legends and International Football Icons
    May 27, 2025
    Arsenal held at Brighton while Man City bounce-back continues
    January 5, 2025
    Galmudug wins the Inter-State Football Tournament
    January 29, 2024
    Somalia set for two int’l friendlies ahead of WC qualifier clashes against Algeria and Uganda
    October 10, 2023
    Chicago woman, 104, skydives from plane, aiming for record as the world’s oldest skydiver
    October 3, 2023
  • Tenders
    TendersShow More
Reading: COVID-19 ventilators provided to help Somalia fight pandemic
Share
Font ResizerAa
Somali National News AgencySomali National News Agency
  • SOMALI
  • ARABIC
Search
  • Home
  • Local News
  • World News
  • Articles
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Tenders
Follow US
©2023 || All rights reserved SONNA
Somali National News Agency > Blog > News > COVID-19 ventilators provided to help Somalia fight pandemic
News

COVID-19 ventilators provided to help Somalia fight pandemic

By Osman
Last updated: June 3, 2020
5 Min Read
Share

Mogadishu(SONNA)-Ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients are being supplied by IOM, the International Organization for Migration, to help thousands of Somali’s affected by the disease.

The ventilators, donated to the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), and funded by the multi-donor Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF), will be used to set up an intensive care unit at the De Martino Hospital, the main public hospital in the country’s capital designated by the country’s Ministry of Health to treat COVID-19 cases .

The donation comes against the backdrop of daily increases in number of COVID-19 cases in Somalia. So far over 1,976 people have tested positive and nearly 80 have died. The country has the second highest number of positive cases in East and Horn of Africa. The FGS has in place a health taskforce to fight the disease. It suspended all international and domestic flights, and established isolation facilities to try and mitigate exposure to the infection, when the first case was reported on March 16.

Somalia’s health system infrastructure remains extremely fragile. There are only nine ventilators in the hospital that will receive the donation, insufficient to face a major outbreak.

“With this donation, hospital capacity will be strengthened to save lives, protect its workers and provide better healthcare to those in critical conditions due to the virus,” said H.E Dr. Fawziya Abikar Nur, Minister for Health and Human Services. During the handover ceremony held at the hospital today (02 June)in Mogadishu, the Minister added: “We appreciate the crucial support provided by IOM, SHF and all other partners working with the Federal Government of Somalia to contain the spread COVID-19 and to provide life-saving treatment to our people.”

With the SHF funding, IOM is also providing medical specialists, and donating medical equipment such as personal protective equipment, including masks and gloves, to help the government’s COVID-19 response.

Due to the large population of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Somalia—2.6 million in displacement camps across the country, half of them in Mogadishu—the pandemic poses a substantial threat.

“IDPs are among the most vulnerable if there is a COVID-19 outbreak in a settlement,” said the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mr. Adam Abdelmoula. “The conditions in IDP camps, including the lack of sanitation and WASH facilities, threat of evictions and lack of access to health care facilities, could create a dangerous environment that would accelerate the spread of the virus.”

The UN in Somalia is committed to work with the authorities to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable groups are addressed. This includes immediate assistance, such as food and cash distribution, and longer-term support, such as providing livelihood opportunities and strengthening the social protection networks.

The De Martino Hospital in Mogadishu provides free health care to IDPs and other vulnerable groups. According to Director of Hospital Dr Abdirizak Yusuf Ahmed: “This hospital is one of the only health facilities in Mogadishu that is accessible for people without resources. If we want to beat COVID-19 in Somalia everyone should have equal access to treatment.”

As the leading UN agency for border control and psychosocial care, IOM is conducting capacity building training on COVID-19 prevention and treatment and distributing medical equipment, supplies and hygiene kits. IOM is also deploying Somali expatriate medical experts to fill gaps in health facilities across the country.

Just before the Eid festivities ending Ramadan, IOM launched #SomaliaResponds in partnership with the Ministry of Health, an individual giving campaign to raise funds and support the De Martino Hospital and other medical facilities in Somalia. The goal is to raise USD 100,000 to buy the necessary equipment and supplies to meet the needs of those affected by the disease.

“IOM will continue supporting the health authorities in Somalia to ensure that no one is left behind in the COVID-19 response,” said Richard Danziger, Chief of Mission for IOM Somalia.

Source: International Organization for Migration

Share This Article
Facebook Whatsapp Whatsapp Email Copy Link Print

MORE NEWS

Ode to Yan’an: How a Song Inspired Chinese Youth During Wartime

ArticlesCulture
August 19, 2025

Kenya’s small farmers find respite in avocados amid changing climate

NAIROBI(SONNA) As crop diseases and pests rise in Kenya amid a rapidly changing climate that…

March 11, 2023

Somali President Appoints Mohamed Ali Nur as New Mogadishu Port Director

Mogadishu, Somalia – The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has…

August 28, 2025

Nimcaan Hilaac appointed to lead Waberi National Band

Mogadishu (SONNA)-Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E. Mohamed…

March 3, 2020

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

AMISOM, SNA military commanders set targets for joint operations against militants

Mohadishu(SONNA)A two-day meeting to evaluate security sector gains in Somalia has ended in Mogadishu, the capital, with the African Union…

Local NewsNews
April 16, 2021

Trump agrees transition to Biden administration can begin

United States President-elect Joe Biden has been formally given the go-ahead by a federal agency to begin his transition to…

NewsWorld News
November 24, 2020

Two Al-Shabaab members Killed in an airstrike in southern Somalia

Mogadishu(SONNA): In the early evening of 17 May 2020, The Federal Government of Somalia, in coordination with United States Africa…

News
May 18, 2020

UNFPA Representative for Somalia condemns the rape of two very young girls in Somalia

Mogadishu(SONNA)-UNFPA Somalia strongly condemned the abduction and rape of the two young girls, aged three and four as they were…

News
April 5, 2020

Somali National News Agency established in 1964. It is one of the main pillars of the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism.

  • Home
  • Local News
  • World News
  • Articles
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Tenders
  • SNTV
  • RADIO MOGADISHU
  • DALKA JOURNAL
  • TOURISM DEPARTMENT

Follow US: 

  • MoICT
  • VILLA SOMALIA
  • OPM SOMALIA

All rights reserved SONNA

©2023

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?