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MOGADISHU, 12 November 2026 An Indian neurosurgeon will hold a three-day clinic at Mogadishu’s Dr. Sumait Hospital from Friday, as the hospital seeks to bring foreign specialists to Somalia and reduce the number of patients travelling abroad for treatment.
Dr. Rajashekhar Reddy, a senior neuro and spine surgeon at Yashoda Hospitals in Hyderabad, said he would see patients on Nov 13, 14 and 15, including people with headaches, strokes, brain tumours and spinal problems such as neck and back pain.
“Anybody who is thinking to meet any specialist neurosurgeon here or they want to visit abroad, they can avail the opportunity and consult me,” said Reddy, who has more than 20 years of experience and said he had operated on many Somali patients in India.
Research presented at a conference in Mogadishu last month estimated that Somalis spent $219 million on treatment abroad in 2025, with about 11,500 travelling to India alone.
“We have tried to respond to that by bringing to Somalia the foreign doctors and specialist hospitals that people travel abroad for,” Ali Farah, director general of Dr. Sumait Hospital said. “Every year we want to bring 24 doctors that Somalis need.”
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Farah said Reddy’s visit followed an agreement between the two hospitals and that the surgeon would return every three months. He would begin performing surgery once the hospital completes a new building that is under construction, and would also teach students at the teaching hospital.
Reddy said the clinic was organised with Health Bridge, an organisation that helps Somali patients access medical treatment.
“In future, the Somali people need not travel to other parts of the world,” Reddy said.
Dr. Sumait Hospital, which has been operating since 2016, is named after Kuwaiti physician and philanthropist Abdul Rahman Al-Sumait, founder of the charity Direct Aid. It offers emergency, intensive care, surgical, maternity, paediatric and other services, and provides many services free to vulnerable patients through Direct Aid.
The new building, funded by Direct Aid, will house specialised testing and research facilities and modern inpatient and outpatient units, including what the hospital says will be Somalia’s first genomics laboratory.