Radio Ergo reports – The closure of two health facilities in southern Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region has deprived thousands of residents in rural villages near Balad, particularly Qalimow and Gololey, of essential free medical services including maternal care and nutritional support.

Last September, the two health facilities operated by Somali NGO Zamzam Foundation were forced to close due to insufficient funding.

According to Zamzam Foundation, the facilities had collectively provided healthcare to 51,000 individuals over a 12-year period. They represented the only dependable source of treatment, nutritional monitoring, and safe maternal healthcare for mothers and infants in the vicinity.

The shutdown has left communities confronting extreme difficulties with health matters as drought conditions, livestock deaths, and crop failures have already significantly compromised household stability.

Shukri Ahmed Hassan, 22, is eight months pregnant and has lacked prenatal care for the past three months since the health facility closed. She reports her health has worsened, leaving her feeling weak and experiencing pain.

The closest alternative health facility is located in Jowhar, approximately 30 kilometers distant. Accessing care there necessitates funds for transportation and medical fees upon arrival.

Shukri explained she had consistently relied on the Qalimow facility, where her three children were delivered during the past nine years. Now, in the final month of this pregnancy, she is distressed by the inability to obtain medical care.

Her family faces financial hardship and carries debt. She owes a local pharmacy $100 for medicines acquired on credit to treat her malnutrition and her children’s ailments, including watery diarrhea, fever, and vomiting.

Shukri’s husband lacks employment and has no steady income. Their three-hectare farm cultivating maize, millet, beans, and vegetables has yielded no produce for eight months due to insufficient rainfall and water scarcity.

The crops they planted last October dried before maturing, resulting in no harvest and no income. Consequently, food supplies are scarce in her home and throughout the broader community.

The two facilities offered complimentary treatment to pastoralists and farmers from 94 villages across Balad district. Their closure coincides with these communities battling an extended drought that has destroyed livelihoods, diminished livestock health, and caused agricultural failures.

Maryan Gure Mohamed, 29, was one of the final women to deliver at the Gololey health facility before its closure.

While breastfeeding her September-born infant, she states her milk supply is insufficient due to inadequate nutrition and the absence of the supplementary support she previously received.

She informed Radio Ergo that when the facility was operational, mothers and children received treatment for conditions including diarrhea, vomiting, and malnutrition, along with biscuits and supplemental food. Expectant mothers were monitored and assisted in maintaining healthy weight.

Maryan’s household, which generates income by selling livestock milk, entered crisis in mid-2024 when disease and pasture scarcity claimed 98 of their cattle.

Only two cows survive, and without adequate fodder, they produce minimal milk, leaving the family without substantial income.

Community leaders report the health facility closures have resulted in many women experiencing unsafe childbirth conditions. Mahmoud Nur Hassan, 62, a member of the Qalimow health committee, stated that numerous women have been transported to Jowhar medical facilities over the past three months due to birth complications.

He cited 18 such cases in the village, including several women who required surgical intervention. Private pharmacies frequently offer substandard medications, whereas the health centers previously supplied dependable medicines that families relied upon.

Mahmoud himself depended on the facility to care for his household comprising four wives and 26 children. Without a nearby medical center, they face health risks beyond their capacity to address independently.

During the initial eight months of 2025, 1,416 women gave birth at the two health facilities – averaging more than five deliveries daily. Additionally, 1,138 children received monthly nutritional monitoring.

Subow Mohamed, head of health and nutrition at Zamzam Foundation, characterized the situation in Qalimow and Gololey as the most severe in ten years. The organization is actively seeking new funding, though commitments from potential donors offer no assurance of facility restoration.

Throughout southern Somalia, eight hospitals, 40 health centers, and 300 nutrition treatment sites have closed this year to date, resulting from reduced international aid.

Meanwhile, community elders and women in the affected areas report they have voiced their concerns to both aid organizations and Hirshabelle authorities without receiving any response.