Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) and Qatar Charity (QC) have opened a new health centre in Awdheegle District in Lower Shebelle, 120km south of Mogadishu, Somalia, at a cost of QR280,000 to improve health care services for the local community.
Serving the district’s population of 30,000 and neighbouring towns, the centre comprises outpatient, maternity, paediatrics, pharmacy, short observation and inpatient departments.
QC Office in Somalia undertook all construction work and QRC Office will manage and operate the centre for one year and then it will be handed over to health authorities.
The opening ceremony was attended by Awdheegle District Mayor Mohamed Oways Abu Baker, Awdheegle tribe’ Grand Chieftain Sultan Meewa Hadji Othman, tribal and local community leaders and QRC and QC representatives.
Abu Baker thanked QRC and QC for continuous efforts, providing assistance such as food, aid for farmers to improve crops, and construction of health facilities.
“We hope QRC and QC will continue to stand by their Somali brothers. All thanks and appreciation to Qatar’s leaders and people for support of the Somali people.”
Othman said, “Thanks to the benevolence of our brothers in Qatar, there will no longer be anyone in Awdheegle suffering due to a lack of services. Our women will never find difficulty in giving birth. QRC and QC have given us a full-fledged health centre with doctors, workers and free medicines.”
The centre follows cooperation between QRC and QC in Somalia under Qatari Alliance for the Relief of the People of Somalia and the Philippines, formed 14 months ago by QRC, QC, Eid Charity and Al Asmakh Charity Foundation.
The alliance has implemented tens of relief and development projects for victims of cyclone and drought in Somalia and provided food and non-food assistance, health services, sheltering, productive projects and digging water wells.
Source: The Peninsula
