Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) stated that journeys are becoming unaffordable for many families, and transport costs are already a growing barrier to reaching hospitals.,,The increase in fuel prices across Somalia due to the escalating Middle East conflict has resulted in higher transport and food costs, making access to essential healthcare increasingly difficult, MSF warned on Friday.,,In a statement, MSF noted that the situation is likely to further strain communities already dealing with drought and health emergencies by severely limiting their access to basic healthcare.,,To mitigate the worst effects, MSF is calling on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the international community to enhance their response mechanisms.,,Somalia imports nearly all of its critical medical supplies from humanitarian organizations in the Middle East.,,With continued disruption to shipping and air corridors, MSF warned that there could be months-long delays in the supply of life-saving medicines, food to treat malnutrition, and essential medical equipment.,,”Fuel is becoming scarce or unavailable in some areas, making it harder for patients to reach hospitals and for hospitals to keep running. For instance, MSF has spent 20 percent more on fuel needed to keep hospital services functioning, so far in March, compared to February,” the organization said.,,According to MSF, Baidoa is experiencing a 25 percent rise in the local price of fuel, from $1.20 to $1.50 per litre, increasing water trucking costs in the city by 40 percent, from 50 to 70 dollars per trip.,,In Mudug, fuel prices have increased by 33 percent, from $0.75 to $1.00 per litre, with local transport costs rising by 50 percent.,,”Electricity price increases are expected in both locations as bills catch up with the market. For the communities our teams serve, and for the smaller facilities and local health workers with no institutional budget to absorb the shock, the impact is expected to be far worse, particularly as rising fuel prices push up the cost of transporting medical supplies and other essential items, making it more expensive to deliver care,” MSF noted.,,MSF operates facilities in Baidoa and Mudug, which are among the few providers of free healthcare in these areas, and the increase in fuel costs will directly affect both its response activities and patients who travel long distances to reach the facilities.,,One such patient is 33-year-old Halima Omar, who travelled 12 hours with her 45-day-old son Muscab to reach MSF’s Mudug Regional Hospital.,,”We delayed coming because we could not afford the transport. It has become much more expensive than before, and many people are now forced to walk long distances just to reach healthcare,” she said.,,MSF states that such journeys are becoming unaffordable for many families, with transport costs increasingly acting as a barrier to reaching hospitals.,,”Fuel is becoming scarce and unaffordable, and the people who pay the price are our patients; mothers who cannot reach the maternity ward, children who never make it to the feeding centre,” says Dr Elshafie Mohammed, MSF Country Representative in Somalia.