By Asha Elmi - Reporter
SOMALIA, Aug. 16, 2026 — Somalia’s Ministry of Family and Human Rights said financial hardship was a factor in the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman at Hargeisa General Hospital, while hospital officials said they had no information indicating that she had complained of financial difficulties during her stay.
The ministry said the woman was a mother who had recently given birth at Hargeisa General Hospital.
According to the ministry, the woman arrived at the hospital while pregnant and gave birth normally. Both the mother and child were in good health after the delivery, but the baby required oxygen and was transferred to a specialised care unit.
Abdirahman Abdisamad Cayngal, deputy director of Hargeisa General Hospital, said the woman remained at the hospital for seven days while her baby received care.
Hospital officials said the woman’s relatives stayed with her during that period and that she had not raised any concerns with hospital staff about financial difficulties or other serious problems.
“There was no problem that the mother had raised during the time she was in the hospital,” Cayngal said.
The death has prompted widespread discussion on social media, with some media outlets and social media users reporting that the woman died by suicide. However, there has been no independent official confirmation of the manner or cause of her death.
Hospital officials said the woman’s relatives reported her missing late at night, prompting hospital staff and police to begin searching for her.
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A hospital cleaning worker found the woman’s body the following morning in a rear section of the hospital, according to the administration.
Police and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) were called after the body was discovered and opened an investigation, Cayngal said.
Hospital officials said the investigation, as well as matters involving the woman’s family, had been handed over to the security authorities. No final findings on the cause or circumstances of her death have been released.
The Ministry of Family and Human Rights, for its part, said the woman had faced financial hardship and cited it as a factor in its account of the incident.
The hospital administration, however, said the woman had not reported any financial difficulties during her seven-day stay.
Cayngal said mental health conditions associated with childbirth, including postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis, can sometimes affect women. He stressed, however, that no such condition had been identified in the woman while she was at the hospital.
The hospital administration urged media organisations to verify information surrounding the case before publication and said it was prepared to provide the information available to it.
The circumstances and cause of the woman’s death remain under investigation.