CHF-DMA-0489-65ER “"Support and strengthen uninterrupted emergency health care services in Banadir hospital through provision of generators” - 250,513$

Somalia has an ongoing civil strife since early 1990s which continues up to today. 2010 has brought about new and pressing needs in Somalia particularly in South Central Somalia where conflict and displacement have increased the number of trauma cases, disrupted health services, displacing communities and restricting access to the already limited health services. The Somali capital Mogadishu has recently experienced the worst fighting, clashes between insurgents and transitional government forces and clan militia have resulted in thousands of civilian casualties and hundreds of deaths in recent months.

Banadir hospital, situated in the centre of Mogadishu, is the biggest referral hospital for mother and child health care as well as injured citizens. The hospital has a capacity of more than 600 beds most of which are functional. It has a catchment population of over one million people, most of these have no gainful employment. The hospital sees a very large number of patients due to the lack of basic sanitation and disease prevention programmes, as well as a large number of trauma cases due to the escalated conflict. Every month, over 3000 patients receive treatment and 100 surgical operations are conducted. It is also the main teaching hospital for the medicine faculty of Banadir University. The hospital has a functioning laboratory and x-ray services, operation theatre, maternal services, an eye and dental department and intensive care unit. All these hospital services highly depend on the electricity to function properly. The hospital has three 25-year old-generators of which one was functioning but broke down recently. Due to the unavailability of spare parts they all have subsequently stopped functioning. At the moment none of these generators are working and it has posed major challenges in continuing to deliver life-saving services effectively.                                                                                                           

With the current project, WHO aims to increase the availability of essential life saving health services by the procurement of generators and regular consumables (oil & petrol filters), the maintenance of generators and by training a generator operator.