Health conference held in Somalia

By Staff Writer

Mogadishu, 29, October, 2018. Conference to discuss health and care has been organised by health professionals and academicians in Jamhuuirya University in Somalia. The conference aimed at discussing the way forwards, towards improved quality of healthcare in the country. It brought to the fore the rising number of fake and substandard drugs in the country.

Because of lack of regulation in this sector after decade long war, the system is rundown. A majority of the hospitals have been destroyed, while those that are operational do not have the necessary utilities such as water, nor medical consumables and specialist doctors. The country’s borders are porous and getting counterfeit drugs into the country is easy.

The pharmaceutical industry in the country is thriving because there is a dire need for drugs, yet there are no regulations to check the quality of drugs being distributed. The number of pharmacies is on the rise, as they even outnumber restaurants and cafes. Ex-soldiers and even traditional healers- popularly known as Cilaj – run these pharmacies as there is no taxation or order in this sector.

Some of the owners of these pharmacies are Somalis who come back to the country to take advantage of lack of order in the sector to enrich themselves. It is commonplace in Somalia to see pharmacies that carry Canadian, Norwegian or British names.

Fake re-stamped drugs overcrowd shelves on pharmacies, leading to the progression of illnesses instead of treating them. There is a drug such as Soliris that in normal circumstances is very expensive, but in Somalia, it costs a fraction of its original cost. Drugs to treat serious ailments such as cardiovascular illnesses are easily within reach of even children.

The country does not also have a database of health professionals, that is why it is easy for anyone to purport to be a health professional. There are authorities in the government and health research centres tasked to look at such issues, but they are either inefficient or ignorant of what such practices portend to the health of its citizens.

Sixteen medical research papers were presented at the conference, with Hamda Jamac’s research paper on medical and health the best. The conference was hailed by local and international attendees, as a good step towards creating order and regulations in this sector.