Health services in Somalia undermined by lack of funding: UN spokesperson

UN agencies in Somalia and their health partners working there have voiced concern about the scale-down of life-saving health services in the African country due to shortages of funding, said a UN spokesperson at a daily news briefing Friday.

"The Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia this year, requiring 863 million U.S. dollars, is only 31 percent funded so far. As a part of the plan, aid agencies have only received 8.5 percent of the funding needed for health care services," said Eri Kaneko, the UN associate spokesperson.

Over the past three months, at least 10 hospitals across Somalia have either closed or have curtailed their services. At least three other hospitals are at risk of closure in the near future, according to Kaneko.

Basic health posts and clinics are currently struggling to meet primary health needs, and many aid agencies have withdrawn health workers from some areas, the spokesperson warned.

After the downfall of President Barre in 1991, years of anarchy persisted until 2012, when a new internationally-backed government was installed. At present, Somalia is still suffering from the insurgency of militant group Al-Shabaab which has carried out waves of attacks and controls some rural areas in the country. Endite