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SOMALILAND: UAE medical team arrives
May 3, 2010 · 15 Comments
HARGEISA (Somalilandpress) — A medical team from UAE’s Red Crescent Authority (RCA) and Women and Health Alliance International (WAHA) consisting of surgical team and other personnel have arrived in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa on Saturday to provide free essential surgical services to sick women and children.
Dr Sinan Khadaj, who was leading the delegation, told local press during their visit to Edna Adan Maternity hospital, that UAE was ready to assist Somaliland in number of fields including the rehabilitation of the economy, training doctors, providing medical assistance and private-sector job creation.
Dr. Sinan also added, this was not their first visit to Somaliland and will not be the last to provide much needed Humanitarian medical mission.
The UAE mission also revealed to the local media, that UAE government will fund a multi-million dollar state of the art medical school in Hargeisa that will provide international standard medical education. The construction is expected to begin soon and will be finished by 2017.
The Emirati team carried out number of successful medical activies in Edna Adan Maternity hospital, which included treating and operating on mothers with complications such as heavy bleeding, fistula, and infections which contribute to higher mortality rates of both mother and child. Prior to the surgical operations, the UAE team took time to brief the patients about fistula, how the injury occurs and what to expect from surgery.
Dr Edna Adan, who was also present at the hospital, briefed the medical team of Somaliland’s on going childbirth complications. “The purpose of their trip is to treat and provide surgical services to women affected by obstetric fistula during childbirth. Most of these women are from poor families and often travel long distance, some times across the border,” she said.
“Obstetric fistula occurs when labour does not progress normally. The pressure of the baby’s head against the soft pelvic organs causes a hole in the bladder usually making it to burst. This results in the urine been continuously been passed from the bladder without control. She will require urgent medical interventions,” Edna continued.
Edna added that, three doctors at her hospital, one man and two female doctors were experienced to treat such complications but they often get overwhelmed. She added that, the first such surgical operation was performed at her hospital in 2002.
According Emirates News Agency, HE Mohammed Khalifa Ahmed Al Qamzi, secretary general of the RCA, said his organisation was capable of providing all kinds of assistance to the needy Somalis in line with their Humanitarian objectives.
The Red Crescent Society of the United Arab Emirates is headed by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the emir of Abu Dhabi. In 2008, the Sheikh vowed to assist Somaliland in Humanitarian and development field during a state visit president Dahir Rayale to Abu Dhabi.
WAHA, on the other hand is based in France and was launched by the Sheikh’s wife, Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan Al-Nahyan, to address and campaign for women’s causes and reduce maternal mortality around the world. It currently operates in 13 countries including Somaliland, most of them in Africa.
Somaliland has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world and obstetric services is almost null. However, medical warriors such as Edna Adan, who was recently decorated with the French Order, the Legion d’Honneur, continue to make a difference. Since her hospital opened it’s doors in 2002, maternal mortality rates in the country was reduced by one-fourth (see Edna Adan Ismail receives Legion d’Honneur from French President.
The delegation will be in the country until the 9th of May and will visit number of clinic and hospitals in Hargeisa. As well as treating sick women and children, they will also perform surgery on deaf people. They will run seminars and conferences to address health issues in the capital, next they will visit the General Hospital.
Somalilandpress | May 03, 2010
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Tags: Edna, Hargeisa, obstetric fistula, red crescent, Shamsa bint Hamdan, Somaliland, UAE, WAHA
Readers Comments (15)
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Allah helps those who help themselves, ordinary people like Edna are trying to help her people and people like the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi are happy to assist.
This is promising and Abu Dhabi can not forget how much Somalilanders contributed to their state before the discovery of oil and the duty free port.
I hope the Sheikh not only helps these sectors but also helps develop services and inftrustructure that will help fund such projects in the future rather than using Emirati funds. Help Somaliland become self-sufficient and reliant.
Kuwait is also doing it's own job developing the hospital in Sheekh and will add a University.
We hope Qatar also joins because, Qatar has one of the largest Somaliland community in the Gulf.
Good job Red Crescent, WAHA, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
@hussein i dont knw if your trying to be honest or sarcastic anyways i hope your real mean those word but manshallah great to see our countrey going to steps forward everytime
Although, it is too little too late for our brothers (Arabs) in Islam to extend their assistance to Somalilanders now. We will accept their sudden change of heart towards Somalilanders. For reasons still unknown to us, it is obvious that the attitudes and hostilities towards Somalilanders is changing. It is a plus for our people to get the help they need. As the saying goes: It is never too late.
At our worst times and when we needed them most while most of the Arabs closed their hearts and doors to the Somali people. Non-Muslim countries had generously opened their hearts and countries to help Somalilanders and Somalilans.
Gasaa ukum alf khayr and thanks for your generousity.
We welcome any help from our Muslim brothers and sisters in the Gulf. And yes as Hussein said we want them to help us help ourselves, not just give us handouts. So the medical school is an excellent way of doing that. Also as Gobaad pointed out we the Somali people awe an enormous debt of gratitude to the Western World especially, the Anglophones, the Scandinavians, and the Dutch for their hospitality, compassion and assistance whenever we needed them. Indeed, the World is civilised today because of them. May Allah reward them and guide all of them to the right path. They could be great Muslims.
You make me laugh "world is civilized today because of them (Europeans", you sound like the kids from 7-14up (Mandela's kids) from South Africa. Where each and everyone of them was brain washed by the colonizers to think "Europeans are civilized, have abudant wealth and are beautiful".
Sxb your sad to have that mentality, Somalis dont think like that, even your name says the name of a slave or of an adopted child "Abraham" its "Ibrahim"
Disgusting.
Thanks UAE, always have love for our brothers, even their small assistance is worth more than all the West provides to the entire Africa to me. It's from a brother.
You make me laugh "world is civilized today because of them (Europeans", you sound like the kids from 7-14up (Mandela's kids) from South Africa. Where each and everyone of them was brain washed by the colonizers to think "Europeans are civilized, have abudant wealth and are beautiful".
Sxb your sad to have that mentality, Somalis dont think like that, even your name says the name of a slave or of an adopted child "Abraham" its "Ibrahim"
Disgusting.
Thanks UAE, always have love for our brothers, even their small assistance is worth more than all the West provides to the entire Africa to me. It's from a brother.
You have the mentality of a slave, "world is civilized today because of you"?
Even your name is in question, no Somali has that mentality perhaps your Ethiopian.
There are Ethiopians among us people. :)
No I don't have a slave mentality, no I am not an Ethiopian, and yes my name is that of a great prophet. I am just giving credit where it is due. If I am wrong, then tell me who are more civilised than the West? Barbaric and ignorant Somalis? Useless and foolish Arabs? Corrupt and incompetent Indians? Dictatorial and valueless Chinese? Gangster and drug peddling Latinos? Or perhaps starving and primitive Africans?
See what few burgers from Macs and little "refugee status" does to some guys?
Poor soul.
Abraham, you shouldn’t base other cultures on your mothers clients, clearly pimps will show the worst attributes of any culture. Please try and explore the world outside of the brothel you were raised, and remember your father could be from any one of those countries you are insulting.
Signed, a concerned friend
I did not base my opinion on my ''mother's clients'' as my mother is a principled God fearing woman and those ''clients'' are non existent. But I based my observation on the moral bankruptcy, sorry personalities, and zero values of dim witted people like you. Your very remark justifies my conclusions as I have never received such vile abuses from cultured Westerners no matter how much we disagree. Your outbursts are a clear indication that the Neanderthal race you belong to needs few more million years of evolution to crawl out of their dark caves and develop the intelligence needed for a civilised debate, without resorting to physical violence or verbal abuse.
Neanderthals are from Europe…you just contradicted yourself.
P.S. it’s civilized not ‘civilised’ any civilized person would have known that.
whether the Anglophes become muslims or not is not any ones business,but i want to reply the short sighted abraham's comment that the world is civilised because of them.!!!.TOo begin with what is civilisation how do u measure it?That will be a long subject,civilisation is the accomolation of the labour of the human race from Summerians,Messop.Pharoas,Phonicans Nubians,chinesse Axumites,Pranians etc. it is not the achievement of one "race"or the other.
West was in dark ages worse than the one Somalia is in now. This "we are civilized and your not" is how Africa got enslaved its not real.
The birth place of civilization is Africa and eventually spread out to other places each adding its own.
West might be the super power now but they wouldnt be there without Africa's past contribution, gold, and men power (slaves).
You give them too much credit, I have no reason to thank them for the bullets they delivered to Africa, the divisions and hungers they created.
You thank them for one dollar but they killing you in other ways.
Calm down guys, let the guy express his view and stop ranting. Where is democracy and freedom of speech?
I do not you guys are setting any example, simply because Abrahim had expressed his views does not mean that you have to bring his beloved mum into the equation. Scape goating is an evil practice, so do not do it