Solar panels at Dollow maternal child health centre, Dollow, Jubaland State. Photo credit: Tamarso.

22 October 2024, Mogadishu, Somalia – In 2023, the WHO Country Office in Somalia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launched Every Breath Counts, a collaborative initiative aimed at improving health service delivery for children suffering from pneumonia and diarrhoea, the two biggest health threats faced by children in Somalia. With a financial contribution of US$ 2 million from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, the project focused on equipping health facilities with solar power and oxygen supplies, biomedical equipment and essential medicines.

The solarization of 26 health facilities was central to the project. The Ministry of Health and Human Services guided the selection of facilities and WHO contracted a renewable energy company based in Mogadishu to spearhead the solarization efforts.

A panel for the solar system at Galkayo maternal child health centre, Puntland. Photo credit: Tamarso.Seventeen maternal and child health centres have been equipped with solar power systems, ensuring a green, sustainable and affordable supply of electricity. The project also facilitated the installation of solar systems in 9 referral hospitals, with the goal of ensuring a constant oxygen supply for critically ill patients in emergency rooms and inpatients needing oxygen therapy at both primary and secondary care levels.

The project includes a 5-year after-sales service agreement, with maintenance scheduled twice a year, and routine maintenance training for health facility staff, including hospital managers and operators.

Solar panels at Horseed maternal child health centre, Baidoa, Southwest State. Photo credit: TamarsoOnly 28% of health facilities in Somalia have access to reliable, uninterrupted electricity. Half of primary health care units in rural areas have either no electricity or an irregular supply. Services provided by primary health care centres, including deliveries, pediatric emergencies and vaccine administration, are severely affected. In remote areas, health care workers often depend on kerosene lamps for light when conducting surgical operations, cesarean-sections and treating critically ill patients. Children can also remain unvaccinated due to the lack of cold chain facilities for the transport and storage of vaccines.

By providing solar power and reliable oxygen supplies, the initiative is expected to reduce deaths caused by pneumonia and alleviate the referral burden on hospitals.

Stable power supplies promote the delivery of Somalia’s essential package of health services, including maternal care and vaccination programmes, and contribute to progress toward universal health coverage.

For more information, contact:

Myriam Haberecht, Resource Mobilization Officer
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Fouzia Bano, Communications Officer
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