# Ministry of Health of Somalia (Wasaaradda Caafimaadka): what it does > What Somalia's federal health ministry does: policy, vaccines, medicines, coordination of aid; who leads it; its budget 2025 to 2027; what it reports doing in 2026; and how the work is shared with Puntland, Somaliland and the member states. Source page: https://calankii.com/en/institutions/ministry-of-health/ Last checked: 2026-11-12 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## What it does The federal Ministry of Health and Human Services (MoHHS) is the government body for health in Somalia. Its work, as its website and budget describe it: - **Policy and plans:** it writes the national health strategy and the rules for hospitals, clinics and health workers. In April 2026 it launched the Somalia Community Health Strategy 2025 to 2029, which sets out how community health workers bring primary care to villages ([UNICEF Somalia, press release](https://www.unicef.org/somalia/press-releases/somalia-launches-new-community-health-strategy-strengthen-primary-health-care-and)). - **Vaccines:** it runs routine immunisation and national campaigns with WHO and UNICEF ([Ministry of Health](https://moh.gov.so/en/)). - **Medicines:** a new [National Medicine Regulatory Authority](/en/institutions/medicines-regulator/) gets its own budget line in 2027 ([Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted](https://mof.gov.so/storage/documents/2026/11/xihvtskp/Appropriation%20Act%20for%202027%20Submitted%20to%20Parlement.pdf)). - **Coordination:** most health care in Somalia is paid for by donors or provided privately. The ministry's own account says that since 1991 the health sector "has been supported by multiple partners", that the private sector "provides the largest health services to the population", and that it chairs the health, nutrition and water working group under the national development plan ([Ministry of Health, About](https://moh.gov.so/en/about-us/)). - **Data:** in 2026 it launched a National Master Health Facility List, a register of every health facility ([Ministry of Health](https://moh.gov.so/en/)). The National Institute of Health, led by Director General Dr Hussein Abukar Muhyadin, does health research and public health training under the ministry (same source). ## Who leads it Dr Ali Haji Adam Abubakar is minister. The ministry's site says he is a physician, was elected to parliament in February 2022 and was appointed minister in August 2022 ([Ministry of Health, The Minister](https://moh.gov.so/en/the-minister/)). The Director General is Yusuf Hassan [Isaq](/en/society/isaaq/) ([Ministry of Health](https://moh.gov.so/en/)). ## The money From the federal budget ([Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted](https://mof.gov.so/storage/documents/2026/11/xihvtskp/Appropriation%20Act%20for%202027%20Submitted%20to%20Parlement.pdf)): | Line | 2025 actual (US$) | 2026 budget (US$) | 2027 proposed (US$) | |---|---:|---:|---:| | Ministry of Health | 70,365,408 | 61,361,312 | 15,175,101 | | National Medicine Regulatory Authority | none | none | 60,000 | Most of the ministry's budget is donor project money passed through the Treasury. The World Bank's [Damal Caafimaad](/en/relations/world-bank/) health project, the largest, brought in US$31.3 million in 2025 and was budgeted at US$43.0 million in 2026 and US$10.4 million in 2027. The World Bank's COVID-19 vaccination project fell from US$30.1 million in 2025 to nothing in 2027 (same source). Much more health aid goes straight to UN agencies and NGOs and never passes through the budget. See [Aid and humanitarian funding](/en/economy/aid-and-humanitarian-funding/). ## What it reports doing These are the ministry's own statements, as reported: - **Vaccination:** the minister said national immunisation coverage reached 76 percent in April 2026 ([Dawan Africa](https://www.dawan.africa/news/health-minister-says-somalias-immunization-coverage-hits-76percent)). In November 2026 a new national committee chaired by the Prime Minister adopted a six-month plan to reach unvaccinated children and end polio ([Dawan Africa](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somalia-adopts-six-month-plan-to-reach-unvaccinated-children-end-polio)). - **Pandemic preparedness:** it launched a Pandemic Fund project to strengthen disease surveillance and response ([Ministry of Health](https://moh.gov.so/en/); [Dawan Africa](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somalia-launches-usdollar25-million-pandemic-fund-project-to-strengthen-disease-response)). In October 2026 it set up a committee of six ministries to prepare for Ebola and asked arriving travellers for a health declaration ([Dawan Africa](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somalia-sets-up-committee-to-prepare-for-ebola-threat); [Dawan Africa](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somalia-requires-health-declaration-for-travellers-amid-ebola-outbreak)). - **Newborns:** it issued national newborn care guidelines in 2026 ([Dawan Africa](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somalia-launches-national-guidelines-for-newborn-care)) and opened an expanded newborn care unit at [Balcad](/en/regions/middle-shabelle/) Hospital ([Ministry of Health](https://moh.gov.so/en/)). - **Blood bank:** the ministry says the minister re-established the National Blood Bank after more than 30 years ([Ministry of Health, The Minister](https://moh.gov.so/en/the-minister/)). - **World health bodies:** the ministry lists Somalia's election to the WHO Executive Board for 2023 to 2026 and the minister's election as a vice-president of the 77th World Health Assembly in 2024 (same source). ## Other records on health - A data analysis reported by [Dawan](/en/society/somaliland-newspapers/) Africa found that only 27 percent of people can reach basic care and that Somalis spend about US$219 million a year on treatment abroad ([Dawan Africa](https://www.dawan.africa/news/only-27percent-access-basic-care-as-somalia-spends-dollar219m-abroad-for-treatment-data-shows)). - The ministry has told aid agencies to align their health projects with national plans ([Dawan Africa](https://dawan.africa/news/somalia-orders-aid-agencies-to-align-health-projects-with-national-plans)). - For long-run numbers on births, deaths and disease, see [Health numbers 1990 to 2025](/en/data/health-numbers-1990-2025/) and [Health facility records](/en/data/health-facility-records-2020-2024/). ## How the work is shared Health is shared between the federal government and the member states, each of which has its own ministry of health. [Puntland](/en/states/puntland/) and [Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/) run their own health ministries and plans. In 2013 the health authorities of Somaliland, Puntland and south-central Somalia formed a joint coordination structure with partners, which the ministry says worked until 2016 ([Ministry of Health, About](https://moh.gov.so/en/about-us/)). ## How to reach it The ministry publishes news, strategies and guidelines at [moh.gov.so](https://moh.gov.so/en/). Public hospitals and health centres are run by the member-state ministries, the Banadir Regional Administration and their partners. ## Its legal basis The 2012 Provisional Constitution gives every person the right to health care (Article 27), as amended in 2024 and 2026; the ministry's mandate is set by the Council of Ministers. --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.