Hundreds of health, nutrition centres closed in Somalia due to suspension of US aid
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The realisation is painful. More than six months after the U.S. government decided to suspend its funding for international aid, hundreds of health and nutrition centres in Somalia have been closed due to lack of financial support.
Specifically, eight hospitals, 40 primary health care facilities, 16 mobile teams and more than 300 nutrition centres run by NGO partners of UN agencies have temporarily suspended their services in 21 districts across nine regions of Somalia, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
"Since the beginning of the year, funding cuts have seriously limited health and nutrition programs in Somalia," OCHA said in its latest situation report, noting that "these cuts pose a significant threat to an already fragile health system" in the Horn of Africa country.
According to UN agencies, the impact is likely to worsen, as many health projects are due to end by December 2025 if new funding is not secured, UN News reported.
These cuts affected key health facilities such as the Jowhar Maternity Hospital in Middle Shabelle, the Rabdhure District Hospital in Bakool, and the Ceel-Waaq Health Centre in Gedo.
Deprived of vaccination
These facilities are "vital" to thousands of people, and their closure would mean that nearly 8,000 people would lose access to healthcare, which could lead to "an increase in maternal and infant mortality, cases of acute malnutrition and cholera, as well as preventable deaths".
In addition, the decline in the capacity of mobile clinics that previously served isolated and displaced communities has deprived more than 350,000 people of access to essential services such as vaccination, epidemic control, disease prevention and primary health care.
This worrying situation comes as Somalia faces a rapidly worsening nutrition crisis, with acute malnutrition rates soaring amid a sharp reduction in the number of operational nutrition sites.
By mid-2025, funding shortfalls, largely due to the suspension of US aid, had forced the closure of more than 300 feeding centres. This contributed to a reduction of about a quarter in treatment for severe acute malnutrition and a 60% reduction in the supplementary therapeutic feeding programme.
Children suffering from acute malnutrition
More broadly, humanitarian agencies fear that without additional funding, approximately 11,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition are at risk of not receiving treatment. The rising burden of disease, particularly from diarrhea, pneumonia, and other illnesses, will further exacerbate malnutrition.
Last May, admissions to the outpatient treatment programme peaked at 40,000, highlighting the deteriorating nutritional status of children under five across Somalia.
At the same time, current stocks of essential therapeutic supplies, including ready-to-use therapeutic foods, ready-to-use complementary foods and therapeutic milk, are only expected to last until November 2025.
According to OCHA, an additional $23 million is urgently needed to avoid any disruption to services.
Millions of people in need
The impact of US budget cuts on health and nutrition programs comes as a severe drought is currently affecting northern Somalia, affecting approximately 2.5 million people in 26 districts classified as moderately or severely affected. Of these, nearly 890,000 people in 16 districts live in areas facing the most difficult conditions.
Five of the 26 districts, including Zeylac, Lughaye, Bossaso, Gaalkacyo and Hobyo, are on the list of districts that were recently re-prioritised for lifesaving humanitarian assistance by the national humanitarian team.
In response to the significant drop in donor contributions, humanitarian agencies in Somalia have revised their 2025 response plan. The updated strategy now targets 1.3 million people, a three-quarter drop from the initial target of 4.6 million.
"This reprioritisation does not reflect a decrease in humanitarian needs in the country," OCHA said. As a result, financial requirements have been adjusted to $367 million, a 75 percent decrease from the initial $1.4 billion appeal. However, this revised response plan has only been funded 16 percent, underscoring, according to the UN, the critical need for increased donor support to address the urgent humanitarian challenges facing the Horn of Africa country.
-0- PANA MA 19Aug2025
