Turkish medical center provides free health care to more than 47k in Somalia

A Turkish medical center run by Yeryüzü Doktorlari, or Doctors Worldwide Turkey, provides free health care services to 47,532 families in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

"The beneficiaries who received our free health care service at the Mogadishu Health Centre from the beginning of 2019 to the end of 2021 are 47,532 people -- 35,430 female and 12,102 male," the head of the group in Somalia, Nur Ahmed, told Anadolu Agency.

He said 14,057 children younger than 5 and 33,475 who are older have also benefited from care at the center.

Sixty-seven percent of families are internally displaced persons (IDP) from different IDP camps in Mogadishu and surrounding areas, according to Ahmed.

"Yeryüzü Doktorlari is planning to implement a new project in Galmudug State as soon as possible, including a nutrition facility," said Ahmed.

He said the group conducted free surgeries last month for those in need in Mogadishu who had nasal chest pains and skin diseases.

Dr. Sadia Mohamed Adan said the center has two main sections -- maternal and child health and a ward for children and those older than 46 years old.

"People are coming from the Weedow, Tabeelaha, Tareedisho, Kahda and Daynile districts to receive the free medical services we provide every day, and throughout the year," said Adan.

She said she is focused on helping those from infancy to maturity. "My office alone received 50 people a day mainly children and provide nutrition."

Halima Ali, a mother of six, said she came from far to the center to get her six-month-old daughter checked and sed received consultations and nutrition assistance.

"I have been coming to this center for a while now," she said. "The staff is very welcoming. We are grateful for what our Turkish brothers are doing for us."

"We are going hard to help our people. A healthy mother means a healthy child," Dr. Amal Abdi Mohamed, a doctor with Doctors Worldwide Turkey, told Anadolu Agency.