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MOGADISHU, 20 October 2026 Only 27% of the Somali population can access basic health services, data presented at this year’s Somali Achievers Exhibition showed.
The exhibition, an annual platform organized by Hormuud Telecom, focused on health for its fifth edition this year. The event, held on 20 October was attended by government officials, members of parliament, heads of health facilities and institutions, doctors, business people, banks, universities, the media and civil society. The forum featured research presentations, speeches, scientific debates and documentary reports.
Data presented at the exhibition showed that only 2% of Somalis have health insurance, while 98% pay for healthcare out of pocket or with support from their families.
In 2024 alone, Somalis spent more than $219 million on medical treatment in India, Türkiye, Egypt and Ethiopia, according to the figures. Cancer is the most common illness for which people travel abroad for treatment.
In 2022, medical goods worth $479 million were imported into the country. Nearly one in three medicines is purchased without a doctor’s prescription.
A total of 6,128 cancer cases were recorded between 2023 and 2026, with oesophageal cancer being the most common. The exhibition noted that Somalia has no national cancer registry.
The exhibition identified several challenges facing the health sector, including very low government funding and dependence on foreign donations. The decline in humanitarian aid has forced health and nutrition centres to close, with others on the verge of closing.
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Healthcare costs fall on patients in the absence of a comprehensive insurance system, and services are concentrated in the capital and major cities while rural and nomadic communities lack adequate care.
Weak regulation and oversight, which have allowed unverified practitioners or those holding fake certificates to operate, were among the challenges highlighted. The lack of health data was also noted, as no national health registry exists.
The exhibition also highlighted opportunities to accelerate progress. These include growing investment by Somali business people and doctors in hospitals and specialist centres; the more than $219 million spent abroad on treatment each year, which could become an investment opportunity to build modern specialist centres; the establishment of the National Social Health Insurance Agency; the medicines regulation bill passed by the House of the People this year; and health technology, which can extend services to remote regions.
The exhibition called on the federal government and the Ministry of Health to strengthen oversight of health facilities, verify practitioners’ qualifications, accelerate the establishment of the National Health Insurance Agency, increase the health share of the national budget and enforce the medicines law.
The health community, business people and banks were urged to prioritize investment in health facilities and develop specialist services at home to stop the millions of dollars flowing abroad. The international community was encouraged to align its support with national plans, and the media to raise health awareness.
The exhibition also commended the role of the Hormuud Salaam Foundation in supporting health and communities.
The exhibition concluded that a “Healthy Somalia” is not a distant dream but a national goal achievable through responsible leadership, sound planning, enforceable laws, strong investment and genuine cooperation between the government, the health community and the Somali business sector.