Somalia’s Federal Ministry of Health and Human Services has achieved a major breakthrough in the fight against maternal deaths, completing the technical validation of a comprehensive National Postabortion Care (PAC) Guideline Package.
The nine-document framework is designed to reduce preventable deaths and illnesses resulting from miscarriages, incomplete abortions, and other pregnancy-related complications, a long-overlooked area in the country’s reproductive health agenda.
Led by the Ministry’s Family Health Department, the initiative received technical and financial backing from Ipas and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). National Lead Consultant Dr. Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed oversaw the development of the entire package, which includes clinical guidelines, training curricula, competency assessment tools, supervision manuals, and a dedicated patient register.
Officials say the package is not imported but built from the ground up with Somali cultural values, ethical principles, and national health priorities at its core. It also aligns with World Health Organization standards for reproductive and maternal care.
The documents were reviewed and validated during a three-day national workshop in Mogadishu from 19 to 21 April 2026. Participants included federal and regional health officials, hospital managers, clinicians, midwives, academics, civil society groups, women’s and youth forums, and development partners.
“It is a great honor to submit the final package of the National Comprehensive Postabortion Care Guideline, which forms part of Somalia’s national effort to reduce preventable causes of maternal mortality,” said Dr. Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed.
He specifically thanked Dr. Naima Abdulkadir for her leadership and quality assurance, as well as Dr. Abdulkadir Wehliye Afrah for technical coordination. The ministry also acknowledged the IRC for organizing the validation workshop and Ipas for providing evidence-based technical guidance.
With stakeholder feedback incorporated and scientific quality confirmed, the government now moves to formally endorse and roll out the package nationwide.
Health authorities plan to implement cascade training for healthcare workers, establish supportive supervision and mentorship systems, integrate the new registers into routine health information systems, and conduct competency-based assessments.
The goal is to ensure that every Somali health facility, from district clinics to regional hospitals, can provide ethical, respectful, and evidence-based postabortion care.
For a country struggling with one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world, officials say this milestone brings Somalia significantly closer to achieving universal health coverage and saving thousands of women’s lives.
