In Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital, President Cirro stood among patients receiving dialysis and bore witness to what governments are ultimately measured by — not their declarations, but their machinery. Twelve new dialysis units at Hargeisa Group Hospital, with more promised for Borama, Burao, and Erigavo, mark a deliberate effort to extend life-sustaining care beyond the capital to citizens who have long waited at the margins of the health system. It is a moment that asks an enduring question: can political will outlast the ceremony that announces it?
Somaliland President Inaugurates Dialysis Expansion at Hargeisa Hospital
The expansion addresses the medical needs of kidney patients requiring regular dialysis treatment in Somaliland.
Healthcare is a national responsibility wherever citizens live
Mark
Why does a president personally visit a hospital to see dialysis machines? Isn't this just a photo opportunity?
Mimi
It could be. But in Somaliland, where healthcare infrastructure has been fragmented and underfunded, a president showing up to inspect new equipment and talk to patients sends a real signal about priority. The machines themselves are the substance—they weren't there before, and now they are.
Luke
Right, but we should be clear: the story tells us machines arrived and the president visited. It doesn't tell us whether they're actually operational, whether there's trained staff to run them, or whether the supply chain for dialysate and other consumables is secure. Those are the things that determine whether patients actually get treated.
Mark
So the expansion could fail if the government doesn't maintain it?
Mimi
Exactly. Dialysis isn't like a vaccine clinic you run once. It's ongoing. Every patient needs treatment multiple times a week, indefinitely. The government said it's committed to building a sustainable system, but sustainability requires money, planning, and follow-through over years.
Luke
The source also says machines are "expected to arrive soon" in Borama and Burao, and a unit will be "established" in Erigavo "in the near future." Those are soft timelines. We don't know when, and we don't know if those promises will hold.
Mark
What about the patients themselves? Did any of them say whether this actually helps them?
Mimi
The president spoke with patients during the visit, but the reporting doesn't include what they said back to him. We know they raised concerns that prompted this expansion, but we don't hear their voices on whether the new machines solve their problem.
Luke
That's a real gap. We're reading a government announcement dressed up as a hospital visit. The patient perspective—whether twelve new machines actually ease the pressure, whether people still can't get appointments, whether the quality of care has improved—that's missing.
Mark
So this is progress, but incomplete progress?
Mimi
It's infrastructure being added to a system that needed it. Whether it translates to better health outcomes for kidney patients—that's the story we'll need to follow.
O Pulso
- Kidney patients across Somaliland have faced a quiet crisis — too few machines, too much distance, and a disease that waits for no one.
- Twelve dialysis units now installed at Hargeisa Group Hospital signal the government's first visible answer to years of patient complaints and unmet need.
- The expansion is already moving outward — additional machines are committed to Borama and Burao, and a new dialysis unit is planned for Erigavo Hospital in the coming months.
- President Cirro walked the ward himself, speaking with patients and framing the investment not as charity but as a national obligation owed to every citizen regardless of geography.
- The harder test lies ahead: sustaining the units requires medicines, spare parts, trained technicians, and reliable electricity — the unglamorous infrastructure that determines whether equipment saves lives or gathers dust.
In Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital, President Cirro stood among patients receiving dialysis and bore witness to what governments are ultimately measured by — not their declarations, but their machinery. Twelve new dialysis units at Hargeisa Group Hospital, with more promised for Borama, Burao, and Erigavo, mark a deliberate effort to extend life-sustaining care beyond the capital to citizens who have long waited at the margins of the health system. It is a moment that asks an enduring question: can political will outlast the ceremony that announces it?
On a Monday morning in Hargeisa, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi — known as Cirro — walked through the dialysis unit at Hargeisa Group Hospital to inspect twelve newly installed machines. He spoke with patients mid-treatment and questioned hospital officials about operations, framing the visit as evidence that campaign promises were becoming working infrastructure. "Healthcare is a national responsibility," he said, insisting that quality, affordable care must reach every citizen regardless of where they live.
The machines are a direct response to complaints from kidney patients who have struggled to access dialysis in Somaliland. Kidney failure demands regular treatment to filter waste from the blood — without it, patients face severe and often fatal consequences. The new units are expected to reduce the backlog at Hargeisa Group Hospital and spare some patients the burden of long travel or no care at all.
Hargeisa is only the beginning of a broader plan. The government has committed to sending additional dialysis machines to hospitals in Borama and Burao, and a new dialysis unit is slated for Erigavo Hospital in the coming months — a deliberate effort to distribute treatment capacity beyond the capital.
Officials describe the ambition as generational: a health system built to serve not only today's patients but those who come after. That vision depends on more than machines — it requires medicines, replacement parts, trained staff, and reliable electricity. Whether political will can sustain all of that as priorities shift remains to be seen, but the inauguration marks a clear, present commitment to chronic disease care in a region where such services have long been scarce.
President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Cirro, walked through the dialysis unit at Hargeisa Group Hospital on Monday morning to see twelve machines that had just been installed. He spoke with patients undergoing treatment, asked hospital officials about their operations, and stood witness to what his government is calling a step forward in kidney care across Somaliland.
The machines represent a direct response to complaints from kidney patients who have struggled to access dialysis in the region. Cirro framed the addition not as a one-time gesture but as part of a larger commitment to convert campaign promises into working infrastructure that people can actually use. "Healthcare is a national responsibility," he said during the visit, emphasizing that his administration intends to ensure every citizen, regardless of where they live in the country, can reach quality and affordable medical care.
The expansion at Hargeisa Group Hospital is the visible piece of a broader strategy. The government has already committed to sending additional dialysis machines to hospitals in Borama and Burao. A new dialysis unit is planned for Erigavo Hospital in the coming months. These moves signal an attempt to distribute kidney treatment capacity beyond the capital, addressing a gap that has left patients in smaller cities with limited options.
Kidney failure requires regular dialysis—a life-sustaining treatment that filters waste from the blood when the kidneys no longer function. Without access to machines and trained staff, patients face severe health consequences. The twelve new machines at Hargeisa Group Hospital are expected to increase the number of people who can receive treatment there each week, reducing the backlog that has strained the facility and forced some patients to travel long distances or forgo care entirely.
The government's stated vision extends beyond buying equipment. Officials say the health policy aims to build a healthcare system that can sustain itself over time, capable of serving not just today's patients but future generations. This means securing a steady supply of medicines, replacement parts, trained technicians, and electricity—the unglamorous infrastructure that keeps dialysis units running. Whether the government can maintain that commitment as political priorities shift remains an open question, but the inauguration signals at least a current willingness to invest in chronic disease management in a region where such services have been scarce.
Citações Notáveis
This step is part of my government's commitment to turn its promises into tangible achievements that improve the lives of citizens.— President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Cirro)
Healthcare is a national responsibility. We are determined to ensure that every citizen, wherever they live in the country, has access to quality and affordable healthcare.— President Cirro
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