The UAE Ambassador to Somalia inspects the maintenance work of Sheikh Zayed Hospital

 The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Somalia, Ahmed Jumaa Al-Rumaithi, inspected today, Sunday, the maintenance work of the outpatient clinics building at Sheikh Zayed Hospital in the capital, Mogadishu.

This came in preparation for the operation of the outpatient clinics of the hospital in the near future, in support of the health aspect in the Federal Republic of Somalia. The United Arab Emirates is considered one of the most prominent countries that contribute to supporting Somalia in the humanitarian and development fields.

It should be noted that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud inaugurated Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Hospital in the capital, Mogadishu, during his first term on June 5, 2016, in the presence of the UAE Ambassador at the time to Somalia, Mohammed Ahmed Al-Othman, Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdul Rashid Sharmarke, and the second deputy speaker of Parliament, Mahd. Oud Abdullah, the Somali Minister of Health, Hawa Hassan, a number of ministers in the Somali government, the Mayor of Mogadishu, Hassan Hussein Mongab, in addition to the United Nations Special Envoy to Somalia, Ambassador Nicholas Kay, and the heads of diplomatic missions and a number of personalities.

Sheikh Zayed Hospital used to receive more than 280 patients and referrals per day, which is equivalent to about 7 thousand patients and referrals per month from different age groups of women, children, men and the elderly. In the second phase, Sheikh Zayed Hospital had a capacity of 200 beds, four operating rooms and a large number of medical specialties.

And Sheikh Zayed Hospital was the only health center that provided medical services free of charge to patients, as the hospital provided free treatment services to Somali citizens, and medicines were dispensed to them for free. The UAE seeks to provide medical services to all Somali citizens, and has provided humanitarian and medical assistance to those in need as a result of the drought that struck large parts of the country.

The maintenance, development, and operation of Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Mogadishu comes after the activation of bilateral diplomatic relations between the two countries, and the removal of obstacles that arose in 2018, which led to apathy and coldness in the relations of the two countries due to the intransigence of former President Mohamed Abdullah Farmajo. However, the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries returned to their previous state, following the election of Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud as President of Somalia on May 15, 2022 AD, and his first foreign visit after his election as President was to the United Arab Emirates.