Gar-adag Health Center – Saving Lives One Patient at a Time

Somaliland, Somalia - Hodo Salah arrived at the Gar-adag Health Centre with her three-year-old daughter Muna clutched in her arms, fearing for her child’s life. Muna’s persistent coughs, rapid breathing and high fever for three long days had plunged Hodo into extreme anxiety.  

Strategically located on the main road linking Burao to Erigvo towns, this health facility is a lifeline for locals within a 70-kilometer radius. Originally established in 2004, its management was taken over by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2017. Every year, over 17,000 patients receive care at Gar-adag Health Center.  

As Hodo and Muna entered the health facility, a dedicated team of healthcare workers sprang into action. With urgency, they administered medicine to lower Muna’s fever while meticulously examining her for a diagnosis. 

Hayat Ahmed, a nurse at the health center recalls, “The child was suffering from pneumonia. I had to monitor her and as the hours passed, the fever gradually subsided and her appetite returned.”  

Pneumonia kills more children than any other infectious disease, claiming the lives of over 700,00 children under five every year, or around 2,000 every day, according to UNICEF. In Somalia, it accounts for 21.6 per cent deaths, as reported by the World Health Organization.  

Despite the existence of pneumonia vaccines, they are not yet readily available in Somalia due to financial constraints faced by the country’s Ministry of Health.  In this challenging scenario, the Gar-adag Health Center emerges as a beacon of hope.  

Educated about pneumonia at the health facility and equipped with the knowledge of danger signs and the importance of returning at once after symptoms reappeared, mother and daughter were sent home. Muna was given medication and requested to return for a follow-up review after five days. 

Muna, playing with renewed energy among other children during her follow-up visit, became a testament to the effectiveness of the life-saving treatment she received. 

“Look at Muna! She is breathing well and running around. I am so relieved her life was saved at Gar-adag and it was free”, said the mother of four.  

The prescribed antibiotics were to be continued for an additional two days, ensuring a complete treatment course, as advised by Hayat.  

“Gar-adag Health Center extends beyond pneumonia treatment, offering a spectrum of essential health services—outpatient consultations, maternity services, immunization, antenatal care, and nutrition services. It stands as a lifeline for the most vulnerable in the community”, said Adiqadir Ahmed Osman MHD's health program assistant 

IOM provides primary healthcare services to migrants, hard-to-reach populations, internally displaced persons and host communities. This ensures healthcare reaches all and no one is left behind.  

The ongoing support from USAID Somalia allows the Gar-adag Health Centre to continue benefiting the saving lives, one patient at a time.