Dr. Naima Abdou

Dr. Naima Abdou is an internist at Centre Hospitalier El-Maarouf, Comoros' central referral hospital in Moroni. She is one of a small number of women physicians in the Comorian public health system and has built a strong clinical reputation over 11 years of practice managing complex medical conditions in a resource-constrained environment. Her work focuses primarily on non-communicable diseases, which have emerged as a growing burden in the Comorian population alongside the persistent challenge of infectious and tropical diseases. Dr. Abdou manages patients with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, thyroid disorders, anaemia, and chronic kidney disease, often overseeing long-term follow-up for patients who have limited access to specialist care elsewhere in the archipelago. She conducts consultations in French and Arabic, which allows her to serve patients from across the islands as well as members of the Comorian diaspora returning from France or the Middle East. Her approachable manner and thoroughness in clinical assessment have made her a trusted figure among patients referred from peripheral health centres across Grande Comore.

Dr. Abdou obtained her medical degree from the University of the Comoros and completed postgraduate training in internal medicine with clinical placements at hospitals in Réunion and France, where she was exposed to a broader range of diagnostic technologies and specialist consultative practice than is available in Comoros. Her training in France included rotations through endocrinology, nephrology, and general internal medicine wards, which she has applied to her clinical work upon returning to the Comorian health system.

Dr. Abdou's clinical expertise covers the full scope of internal medicine relevant to a West Indian Ocean island context. She is skilled in the diagnostic workup and management of hypertension and its complications, the initiation and titration of diabetes regimens using oral hypoglycaemic agents and insulin, and the assessment of thyroid dysfunction using clinical examination and available laboratory tests. She interprets electrocardiograms for cardiac arrhythmia and ischaemic changes, and manages anaemia with attention to the nutritional and haematological causes most prevalent in Comoros. She coordinates care with surgical colleagues and international referral networks for patients requiring investigations or interventions beyond local capacity.

Dr. Abdou is primarily a clinical practitioner. She has engaged with WHO and regional health authorities in surveillance of non-communicable disease trends in Comoros and participated in national workshops on the management of diabetes and hypertension within the Comorian primary health care framework. She remains committed to evidence-based practice adapted to the realities of a small island developing state.

Dr. Abdou regularly consults patients from the Comorian diaspora based in France and the Gulf region who return home and require medical assessment or continuation of treatment initiated abroad. She communicates effectively in French and Arabic, enabling her to review foreign medical records, reconcile medications, and provide bridging care during patients' time in Comoros. Appointments are made through the outpatient department at Centre Hospitalier El-Maarouf.

Dr. Abdou is recognised within the Comorian medical community for her advocacy for women's health and her role as a mentor for junior physicians entering internal medicine. She has been commended by hospital leadership for her contributions to the management of complex inpatients and her collaborative approach to multidisciplinary care at El-Maarouf.