Saving Lives in Somalia
International Medical Corps is on the ground improving access to much needed healthcare and nutrition programs in hard to reach areas of Somalia.
Maryan Cabdi comes from a village called Galwein in Ethiopia. She is a 34-year-old mother of eight children. Maryan fled her home village to seek refuge and now lives in a camp for displaced people in Abduwaq.
“At the camps, most people were not observing critical basic hygiene practices like washing hands before giving your child food. We have received messages from International Medical Corps health workers to practice good hygiene so that we can help prevent some diseases. My daughter was found to be severely malnourished and was admitted to the OTP program by International Medical Corps. She was given the Plumpy’nut and she recovered so fast,” Maryan observed.
In July 2018, International Medical Corps conducted surveys in Abudwak and Jowhar District to assess and monitor the nutrition status of children between 6 and 59 months of age, including other health, water and sanitation proxy indicators for the population of Abudwak and Jowhar Districts.
International Medical Corps is providing emergency nutrition support to drought affected and displaced communities in Abudwak and Galkacyo South districts in Galmudug region, as well as Jowhar in Middle Shebelle.
International Medical Corps is also responding to the effects of drought, floods and conflict on affected host communities in these regions by providing health, water, sanitation and protection services.
Mahad was admitted to the Outpatient Therapeutic Program run by International Medical Corps where he got treatment for severe acute malnutrition up to recovery.
A child at Ibado hospital stabilization center receives care from an International Medical Corps nurse. Children who have severe acute malnutrition with complications that need critical care are admitted at the stabilization center for close monitoring. This is the only stabilization center in Abudwak district offering these much needed services.
Anfa is only 18 years old and this was her first pregnancy. She stayed at home waiting for her due day not knowing that she needed regular check-ups and screening to ensure that she and her baby were healthy.
A few hours before giving birth, she experienced eclampsia, a condition in which one or more convulsions occur in pregnant women suffering from high blood pressure. This condition is very risky as it is often followed by coma, posing a threat to the life of mother and baby. She was referred by another nearby hospital to Ibado Hospital, which is operated by International Medical Corps. Following an emergency caesarian surgery she delivered a healthy baby boy, Mohamed.
Somalia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. One out of 12 women die due to pregnancy related complications, and one of the main causes is the limited access to maternal health care. International Medical Corps is on the ground improving access to health and nutrition care in hard to reach areas of the country.
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