Dr. Amina Said Farah

Dr. Amina Said Farah is a pediatric physician at Hôpital Général Peltier, the main public hospital in Djibouti City. In her 11 years of clinical practice, she has become a trusted figure in child and maternal health in Djibouti, managing the full range of pediatric conditions that affect children in this Horn of Africa nation — from acute infectious diseases to chronic malnutrition and developmental concerns.

Djibouti faces significant challenges in child health, including high rates of childhood malnutrition, malaria, respiratory tract infections, and diarrheal diseases, exacerbated by the country's extreme heat, arid climate, and limited access to clean water in some communities. Dr. Said Farah's clinical work is shaped by these realities, and she combines her pediatric expertise with a strong commitment to preventive care — immunization, nutrition counseling, and health education for families.

As a Somali-speaking female physician in Djibouti's predominantly Somali population, Dr. Said Farah brings both linguistic and cultural competence that allows her to build trust with families who might otherwise face barriers to accessing medical care. She is a member of the Ordre des Médecins de Djibouti and actively supports national maternal and child health programs.

Dr. Said Farah completed her medical training in France, following the educational pathway common among Djiboutian physicians given the limited capacity for full medical training within Djibouti itself. She obtained her MD and subsequently completed a Diplôme de Pédiatrie, providing her with structured pediatric training in a high-resource academic setting before returning to serve in Djibouti.

Her transition from training in France to practice at Hôpital Général Peltier required significant adaptation to a resource-constrained environment, a challenge she has met by developing strong clinical reasoning skills and a practical approach to pediatric care that maximizes outcomes within available resources. She has also undertaken continuing education in nutrition and tropical pediatrics through WHO and UNICEF programs operating in the Horn of Africa region.

Dr. Said Farah's pediatric practice addresses the acute and chronic health needs of children from birth through adolescence. Her most frequent presentations include malaria in children — both uncomplicated and severe — acute respiratory infections including pneumonia, diarrheal disease and dehydration, and moderate-to-severe acute malnutrition managed in conjunction with the hospital's nutrition rehabilitation unit.

She oversees the pediatric immunization program at Hôpital Général Peltier as part of Djibouti's expanded programme on immunization (EPI), ensuring children receive vaccinations against tuberculosis, polio, measles, hepatitis B, and other vaccine-preventable diseases. She also provides neonatal care for newborns admitted following complicated deliveries, managing neonatal jaundice, neonatal infections, and prematurity within the hospital's limited neonatal unit. Maternal health consultations complement her pediatric work, advising mothers on breastfeeding, nutrition, and postnatal care.

Dr. Said Farah has contributed to child health data collection in collaboration with UNICEF and WHO programs in Djibouti, providing clinical input to nutrition surveys and malaria sentinel surveillance. She has participated in regional maternal and child health conferences presenting case data on malnutrition management approaches in Djibouti. Her observations on barriers to pediatric care-seeking among Somali and Afar communities have informed health communication strategies developed by Djibouti's Ministry of Health.

Dr. Said Farah consults in French, Somali, and Arabic. Her multilingual capability is particularly valuable in Djibouti's pediatric setting, where parents from different linguistic backgrounds seek care for their children. The hospital regularly receives pediatric patients from Somalia, Eritrea, and Ethiopia whose families have reached Djibouti as migrants, refugees, or for targeted medical care.

For diaspora families visiting Djibouti and seeking pediatric consultations, Dr. Said Farah offers consultations for both acute presentations and routine child health assessments. Video consultations in French, Somali, or Arabic can be arranged for advisory guidance on child health concerns before or after a visit to Djibouti.

Dr. Said Farah has been recognized by the Djiboutian Ministry of Health for her contributions to improving immunization coverage and nutritional care for children in Djibouti City. She received a commendation from UNICEF Djibouti for her collaboration in the country's malnutrition response programs. Her dedication to accessible, culturally sensitive pediatric care has been acknowledged by senior colleagues at Hôpital Général Peltier as a model of practice in the Horn of Africa context.