Tuesday August 4, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — North Western State of Somalia President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro has directed the government to provide kidney dialysis and related care free of charge after patients raised concerns about poor treatment and escalating medical expenses.
In a statement released Monday, the North Western State of Somalia Presidency said Irro had also ordered the Ministry of Health to urgently purchase 15 dialysis machines. The equipment is intended to increase treatment capacity and ease the strain on machines currently operating at Hargeisa General Hospital.
The president further instructed authorities to waive all fees for services required by kidney patients, including dialysis and associated medical treatment.
The orders came after Irro visited Hargeisa General Hospital, where he spoke with hospital managers, medical staff and dialysis patients about the facility’s difficulties and the challenges facing those seeking care.
Irro has also established a technical committee to carry out a detailed review of Hargeisa General Hospital and regional hospitals that provide kidney treatment.
The committee will examine hospital administration, healthcare delivery, medical equipment, infrastructure and patient care. It is expected to submit proposals covering both urgent measures and longer-term reforms.
The presidency described the directives as part of a wider government drive to improve healthcare and reinforce public health infrastructure.
The announcement follows a protest in Hargeisa several days earlier, when dozens of kidney patients demonstrated over the cost of medicines and dialysis supplies, a shortage of functioning machines, overcrowding and lengthy waits for treatment.
Patients said inadequate services had interrupted their regular dialysis schedules and warned that the disruption was putting many lives in danger.
The new measures appear to respond to the protesters’ main demands. However, the government has not said when the 15 machines will arrive or when the expanded free services will be fully operational.
