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MOGADISHU — Somalia has discussed ways to bolster her health response and upgrade national immunization programs during a meeting between His Excellency Dr. Ali Haji Adam, Federal Minister of Health and Human Services, and a high-level delegation from the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO).
The visiting regional delegation included Dr. Jamal Ahmed, Regional Director for Immunization and Polio Eradication, and Dr. Mohamed Kamil, Acting Representative of the WHO Country Office in Somalia, where the joint talks held at the ministry’s headquarters in Mogadishu focused on elevating preventative medical services.
The official Facebook page of the Somali Ministry of Health reported that His Excellency the Minister highlighted the tangible field achievements the country has secured in vaccination, particularly the success in expanding overall coverage and reaching children who had never received prior vaccines, globally classified as “Zero-Dose Children.”
The Somali official expressed his country’s appreciation for the continuous support provided by the WHO, while simultaneously pointing out the ongoing challenges facing the health sector amid a noticeable decline in international funding for humanitarian and health programs, which underscores the need for exceptional support.
For his part, Dr. Jamal Ahmed commended the ministry’s tireless efforts to advance primary healthcare and combat epidemics, praising the existing strategic partnership in disease surveillance, emergency medical response, and the steady progress toward declaring Somalia entirely free of polio.
At the conclusion of the talks, both sides agreed to expand the horizons of cooperation and align joint efforts to accelerate preventative plans and develop early warning systems for infectious diseases, thereby ensuring a resilient health system capable of meeting the community’s essential needs.
This strategic health engagement comes at a time when Somalia’s medical infrastructure faces compounded pressures stemming from the intersection of climate shocks and seasonal disease outbreaks. The eradication of polio and reaching “Zero-Dose Children” serve as core pillars in her national health security strategy. Through these vital international partnerships, the country seeks to bridge current funding gaps and transition toward institutionalizing preventative healthcare, thereby safeguarding younger generations as a primary line of defense against emerging humanitarian crises.
