Federal government: ministries and agencies
Ministry of Health of Somalia (Wasaaradda Caafimaadka): what it does
Somalia's federal Ministry of Health and Human Services sets national health policy, runs vaccination campaigns with partners, licenses medicines and coordinates the aid agencies that pay for much of the health system. Dr Ali Haji Adam Abubakar has been minister since August 2022. Its budget falls from US$61 million in 2026 to a proposed US$15 million in 2027, mainly because a World Bank project is ending.
What it does
The federal Ministry of Health and Human Services (MoHHS) is the government body for health in Somalia. Its work, as its website and budget describe it:
- Policy and plans: it writes the national health strategy and the rules for hospitals, clinics and health workers. In April 2026 it launched the Somalia Community Health Strategy 2025 to 2029, which sets out how community health workers bring primary care to villages (UNICEF Somalia, press release).
- Vaccines: it runs routine immunisation and national campaigns with WHO and UNICEF (Ministry of Health).
- Medicines: a new National Medicine Regulatory Authority gets its own budget line in 2027 (Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted).
- Coordination: most health care in Somalia is paid for by donors or provided privately. The ministry's own account says that since 1991 the health sector "has been supported by multiple partners", that the private sector "provides the largest health services to the population", and that it chairs the health, nutrition and water working group under the national development plan (Ministry of Health, About).
- Data: in 2026 it launched a National Master Health Facility List, a register of every health facility (Ministry of Health).
The National Institute of Health, led by Director General Dr Hussein Abukar Muhyadin, does health research and public health training under the ministry (same source).
Who leads it
Dr Ali Haji Adam Abubakar is minister. The ministry's site says he is a physician, was elected to parliament in February 2022 and was appointed minister in August 2022 (Ministry of Health, The Minister). The Director General is Yusuf Hassan Isaq (Ministry of Health).
The money
From the federal budget (Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted):
| Line | 2025 actual (US$) | 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 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.
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). 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).
- Pandemic preparedness: it launched a Pandemic Fund project to strengthen disease surveillance and response (Ministry of Health; Dawan Africa). 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; Dawan Africa).
- Newborns: it issued national newborn care guidelines in 2026 (Dawan Africa) and opened an expanded newborn care unit at Balcad Hospital (Ministry of Health).
- Blood bank: the ministry says the minister re-established the National Blood Bank after more than 30 years (Ministry of Health, 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 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).
- The ministry has told aid agencies to align their health projects with national plans (Dawan Africa).
- For long-run numbers on births, deaths and disease, see Health numbers 1990 to 2025 and Health facility records.
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 and Somaliland 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).
How to reach it
The ministry publishes news, strategies and guidelines at moh.gov.so. 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.
Sources
- UNICEF Somalia, press release · unicef.org
- Ministry of Health · moh.gov.so
- Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted · mof.gov.so
- Ministry of Health, About · moh.gov.so
- Ministry of Health, The Minister · moh.gov.so
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Every federal government body in Somalia and its budget, 2025 to 2027A directory of every body in Somalia's federal budget: ministries, agencies, courts, commissions and security forces, with 2025 spending, 2026 budget and 2027 proposed budget in US dollars, and a CSV download.
- The Federal Government of Somalia: how it is organisedHow Somalia's federal government is built: its history since 2012, its branches, ministries, agencies and independent offices, how it relates to the member states, its staff and budget, and where to find each part.
- Somalia's federal government: the President, the Prime Minister and the Council of MinistersHow Somalia's federal executive works: the President's powers, the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers, the list of ministries, and presidents since 1960.
- Ministry of Education of Somalia (Wasaaradda Waxbarashada): what it doesWhat Somalia's federal education ministry does: curriculum, national exams, teachers, school counts and higher education, how it shares the work with the member states, and the separate ministries in Puntland and Somaliland.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia (Wasaaradda Arrimaha Dibadda): embassies and diplomacyWhat Somalia's foreign ministry does, who leads it, where Somalia has embassies, the main issues in 2024 to 2026, and what Somalis abroad can get from an embassy.
- Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation of Somalia (Wasaaradda Arrimaha Gudaha)What Somalia's interior and federal affairs ministry does: relations with the member states, local councils, reconciliation and local elections, with the Banadir council vote of 2025 to 2026.