Ethiopian, Djibouti-an troops deliver medical supplies in central Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Troops from Djibouti and Ethiopia serving in African Union Mission in Somalia on Thursday delivered medical supplies to the Hiran region in central Somalia, which has facing persistent floods since November 2019, leading to deaths and displacement of people.

The medical supplies will boost healthcare in the region which has also been under constant Al-Shabaab attacks, further making it impossible for service delivery. Hiran region is in central Somalia in Middle Shebelle, an area prone to Al-Shabaab attacks.

This was the second delivery of medical supplies to benefit local communities, following a donation made to Beletweyne General Hospital two weeks ago, AMISOM said in a statement, further emphasizing its commitment to improving healthcare.

According to AMISOM, the supplies which included a variety of drugs and cartons of syringes were handed over to the Governor of Hiran region, Ali Jeyte Osman, at a function held at Hiran Regional Hospital, in HirShabelle State and attended by top health officials.

Major Osman Obsiye Hosh, the AMISOM Sector IV Chief Operations Officer, explained that the medical supplies were delivered on behalf of the Head of AMISOM, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, to support the health sector in Hiran region.

“Today we handed over medical supplies from AMISOM Sector 4 to Hiran Governor Ali Jeyte Osman and health officials from Beletweyne hospital. This is not the first time; last week we delivered similar medical supplies. The supply includes injections, surgical drugs, L- carnitine oral Ophthalmology drugs, and vitamins,” Osman said.

AMISOM troops had delivered an assortment of medical supplies which included cartons of chloroquine phosphate, amoxicillin, and vitamins for malnourished children, to Beletweyne General Hospital to benefit the local communities and boost medical services at the facility in early July.

Governor Ali commended AMISOM for the continued support to the people of the Hiran region, noting that the donation was timely, coming at a time when the hospital is grappling with an acute shortage of drugs.

“We have received these medical items from AMISOM’s Djiboutian and Ethiopian troops following a request we made last year. We appreciate the donation to our people as there are no conditions attached to it whatsoever. The supplies will be handed over to the health department which will distribute them to health facilities across the region,” the governor said.

The Health Coordinator of HirShabelle state, Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Khalif said the supplies will help health centers across the region cope with the overwhelming number of patients and the acute shortage of drugs.

“We have received another donation of high-quality medical supplies from AMISOM, in a space of two weeks. These drugs will help us provide medication to patients at various hospitals. We appreciate our brothers for their continued support to our health sector and we are looking forward to similar donations in the future."

The mission further said that the donations are part of AMISOM’s Civil-Military Cooperation [CIMIC] in Somalia, aimed at strengthening relations with the local communities.

The provision of medical supplies by AMISOM to various hospitals is also intended to benefit local communities who are presently not able to access AMISOM bases for medical assistance following the lockdown of AMISOM bases, as part of wider measures aimed at stemming the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

AMISOM's donations come barely a month after Al-Shabaab militants tried to run over a Djiboutian military base in the Hiran region. However, the Djiboutian troops resisted in time, forcing dozens of the militants to flee from the region, in one of the attacks that would have been devastating.

Last week, both the opposition and the Federal Government of Somalia also called for assistance for flood victims in Hiran, whose proximity to River Shebelle has often caused perennial flooding. The AMISOM team has been instrumental in boosting Somalia's weak institutions.

GAROWE ONLINE