Somaliland

Background Information:

Type of Experience: Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Newborn and Early Childhood Health Clinical and research experiences (e.g., quality improvement methodology) 

Is a Temporary Medical License Required? Yes. A temporary medical license will be required. The Somaliland National Health Professions Commission is the statuary body with the mandate of regulating health professionals, their education and practice, as well as the facilities where they practice, and assess and accredit health training institutions in order to improve the quality and standards of the health care system in Somaliland. The Health Professional’s License Guidelines and the Application Form should be completed and submitted to redwaan@nhpcsomaliland.org. In addition to support documents, a letter of recommendation will need to be provided by Amoud University. This is completed by Dr. Said Ahmed Walhad, Principal of Amoud College of Health and Sciences. 

Can a VISA be acquired upon arrival? No. A VISA should be obtained prior to departure to avoid airport delays. It can take a few weeks to process, so plan to complete the VISA application as soon as possible. Cost for a single-entry 30-day VISA is $60 USD. You will require a letter of authorization from Borama Regional Hospital, which will be provided for you.

Complete the online visa application here:

• https://somalilandtravel.com/apply-for-visa/

• https://somalilandtravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Somaliland-VOA-form.pdf

Primary Language Spoken: Somali, English,  and Arabic. 

Are language skills required in the primary spoken language: Language skills are not required in the primary spoken language (Somali), however keywords and phrases are helpful. 

Housing: Rays Hotel. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel (Phone: + 252 63 6600006) or emailing (Rays_hotel@hotmail.com). Cost $32 USD/night for a suite. https://huteel.com/listing/rays-hotel/

Transportation: Travelers are not to travel outside the hotel area unless accompanied by Amoud University staff. Amoud University will arrange transportation. 

Dress code: Formal in the hospital. White Coats are worn by physicians and staff. 

Males: Dress pants, and button-down shirts or polos. Ties are not required. 

Females: Advised to wear culturally appropriate head/hair covering (Hijab), long skirts and loose-fitting tops. Ankles and elbows should be covered. Hijabs can be purchased online ahead of travel. 

• https://a.co/d/9kZ7og8

• https://a.co/d/2xuaxVD

Travel Medicines: see CDC for Somalia for up to date information, take all prescription medicines in the prescription bottle

Required Vaccines: see CDC for Somalia for up to date information. 

COVID-19 Testing: Proof of vaccination required for entry. COVID-19 testing required to exit country. Testing will be arranged at the Borama Reginal Hospital laboratory 24-hours prior to departure. 

Brief Background/History:

Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is a de facto sovereign state in the Horn of Africa that is still considered internationally to be part of Somalia. Its claimed territory has approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021 (with nearly half of the population living in rural areas). The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. In 1988, civil war broke out in Somalia and by 1991 the clans in the northwest of the country declared independence and formed a new country, Somaliland. Somaliland has developed relative peace and stability in contrast to the rest of Somalia.

Amoud University is Somaliland’s first institution of higher education. It was founded in 1998 in Borama, a town with a population of about 150,000. In the Borama District public sector there are 13 health centers, one functional primary hospital and one 377-bed regional hospital. Because there is only one primary hospital in the system, the staff of most health centers refer patients directly to the regional hospital when the patients need higher level care. Amoud Medical School started in 2000. In 2012, four United States (US) trained doctors partnered with Amoud University to establish a family medicine training program as a master’s degree (MFamMed). At the time there were no specialty training programs for doctors in the country.

In 2017, Dr. Hodan J. Abdi founded the first Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Borama, Somaliland to address a growing need for basic resuscitation and essential newborn care in preventing neonatal deaths. Since its foundation, the NICU has been staffed by Family Medicine (FM) Residents and Faculty trained at Amoud University. To continue programmatic growth and development, the FM Faculty sought out collaboration with US-based Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine subspecialty trained physicians. In July of 2022, a Neonatologist from The University of Minnesota (Dr. Ellen Diego) travelled to Borama Regional Hospital to deliver a comprehensive in-country educational training program to strengthen the core residency curriculum in the care of small and sick babies. The curriculum incorporated a combination of lecture-based and simulation-based education sessions to standardize provision of care at birth and identify gaps in best practice. Throughout the training sessions, the FM Residents developed their skills in quality improvement methodology and identified high rates of admission hypothermia, low rates of hand hygiene, absence of delayed cord clamping and ineffective non-invasive ventilation delivery as targeted areas for change. These gaps will be the focus of ongoing quality improvement initiatives that will be implemented as the University of Minnesota and Amoud University continue to collaborate to reduce site-specific and regional neonatal mortality.