The United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned over the lack of funding to support health services in Somalia. To emphasize the dire situation the agencies are turning to the public to plead for assistance. In just the last 90 days, 10 hospitals in Somalia have closed or suffered a lack of medical personnel due to the funding crisis. Aid agencies have no choice but to recall workers home because there is not enough funds to keep them abroad to assist the population.
WHO states more than 3 million people in the depressed country need humanitarian aid. The statistics of the medical emergencies happening are horribly real. In Somali, a mother dies every two hours due to pregnancy complications. That is not all.
Every hour in Somalia eight children under the age of 5-years-old die. The lack of access to clean, drinking water is crucial and due to the limited resources, only 1 in 3 Somalians have access. This amounts to chronic malnourishment for 1 out of 4 children in the country. An UN associate spokesperson, Eri Kaneko, said, “The Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia this year, requiring 863 million U.S. dollars, is only 31 percent funded so far. As a part of the plan, aid agencies have only received 8.5 percent of the funding needed for health care services.”
That means even the most basic medical needs are being neglected in the face of the funding shortage.
For years citizens have been trying to push the oppression of government from their backs in hopes one would turn the country around. In 2012, when a new globally-backed cabinet took control of the nation, hope reigned but that was quickly distinguished when Al-Shabaab began attacks against the civilians in the region. The militia group has dominated many rural areas in the country.
Without proper government control and without proper funding, more than 1.5 million Somalians will be cut off fully from health services. Visit the WHO website to learn more about this dire situation and see how just one person can start a trend to help those in need.