Blog 2

Somalia 

Somalia is one of the world’s most difficult environments for survival. From having a lacking functioning government, economic failure, armed conflicts, and a decline of health and public services, all these factors contribute to the failure to maintain the health and well-being of people of this country (WHO, 2012.) The poor conditions that the people of this country live in reflect in their health conditions and the available care they have or the lack of it. Children are one of the most affected in regard to the conditions of the country. Children’s under-five mortality rate consist of  117 out of 1,000 live births (UNICEF, 2019.) The number of causes that contribute to the mortality rate of children to be so high ranges from neonatal complications, respiratory infections,  diarrhea, intestinal parasites, skin conditions, eye infections, anemia and the lack of basic health care services.  

Implement Health and Well-being

Efforts are being made to change the health care system in Somalia. The UNICEF has created a program called the  Somalia Health Programme that focuses on strengthening the health care system. By targeting the zonal, regional, and district disparity reduction and equity gaps, it will help decrease the number of children and maternal mortality and morbidity. This program is essential for Somalia to achieve and implementing SDG 3, ensuring the health and well-being of the people. UNICEF has planned to take different steps that prioritize the issues at hand. An ‘Essential Package of Health Services’ (EPHS) which focuses on targeted diseases that are high at risk for children, such as Malaria. Although this package has only covered ⅓ of Somalia’s population, UNICEF is hoping to expand these services for all people. A major change that needs to happen is to strengthen the government to promote the health care system. UNICEF will aid the government of Somalia in its administration of Health Management Information System (HMIS) and other factors of the health system. 

Monitor Health and Well-being 

Working closely with the communities of Somalia to address the current issues and fighting to have quality health care are key to make a change. UNICEF has created a plan that will monitor how their new program will work and how effective it would be. Program outputs and outcomes  will be measured through a series of coverage and quality indicators already within routine health management information systems and through UNICEF partner reports. UNICEF will make sure that analytical work is to be used for priority setting, costing, resource tracking and monitoring of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) interventions. 

Cost, Issues and Resources

Somalia doesn’t have the resources and funds to provide a stable health care system. UNICEF, with the help of Global Fund resources, has helped establish a district health management information system to improve the current HMIS of Somalia. According to UNICEF the resource requirement budget to establish the Somalia Health Programme consists of a total of 103,476 in thousands of United States dollars.With the help of UNICEF and other organizations, health care services have been brought to this country and will continue to grow as the SDG 3 is implemented.   

Addressing Priority

Addressing the health and well-being of children in Somalia is a priority for this country. Somalia lacks the resources and services to provide an adequate health care system to prevent the spread of diseases, to reduce the mortality deaths of children, and to overall ensure the health of the people. Many of the causes of child death in Somalia can be prevented, however since this country doesn’t have the funds and supplies for proper treatment is where are failed to receive care. According to UNICEF (n.d.), only about 56% of health facilities in Somalia have the basic emergency obstetric care that a mother and child require in order to ensure the health of both. Since children are one of the most affected by the lack of health services in this country, it is a priority to implement strategies that will ensure the health and well-being of children and all the people of this country. 

References 

UNICEF. (n.d.) UNICEF Somalia Health Strategy Note 2018-2020. http://files.unicef.org/transparency/documents/Somalia%201.%20Health.pdf

UNICEF. (2019). Somalia- Demographics, Health & Infant Mortality. https://data.unicef.org/country/som/

World Health Organization. (2012). Child health in Somalia: situation analysis.                                     

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/116799/EMROPUB_2012_EN_734.pdf