Dr. Halima Abdi Hersi

Dr. Halima Abdi Hersi is a specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Mogadishu Somali Turkey Training and Research Hospital — one of Somalia's most modern medical facilities, built with Turkish government support and serving as both a major referral centre and a training hospital. With 10 years of experience in one of the world's most difficult maternal health environments, she is among a new generation of Somali women physicians who are transforming obstetric care in the country. Somalia has one of the world's highest maternal mortality rates, driven by lack of skilled birth attendants, poor antenatal coverage, and obstetric complications including haemorrhage, obstructed labour, and sepsis. Dr. Hersi's practice focuses on preventing these deaths through emergency obstetric care, structured antenatal monitoring, and training of midwives and nurses. Her work with obstetric fistula patients — a condition caused by prolonged obstructed labour — reflects her commitment to the most vulnerable Somali women.

Dr. Hersi graduated from Somali National University's Faculty of Medicine in Mogadishu — Somalia's main public university re-established after the civil war — and then completed a Specialist Certificate in Obstetrics and Gynaecology through the East African Medical Schools Consortium, a regional collaboration providing postgraduate specialist training for East African doctors. She has completed Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) certification through WHO Somalia — a structured programme covering life-saving obstetric skills including manual vacuum aspiration, management of eclampsia, and postpartum haemorrhage protocols. She has participated in training workshops supported by UNFPA and MSF on obstetric fistula and safe motherhood. She attends the Somalia Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society meetings for professional development.

Dr. Hersi's expertise centres on emergency and life-saving obstetric care. She manages life-threatening obstetric complications including postpartum haemorrhage (including bimanual compression, oxytocin administration, and balloon tamponade), pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (magnesium sulphate protocol), and obstructed labour requiring caesarean section or assisted delivery. She performs manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) for management of incomplete abortion — a critical procedure in the Somali context. Her antenatal care practice includes ultrasound assessment, high-risk pregnancy monitoring, and structured birth planning. She conducts visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for cervical cancer screening. She is experienced in assessing and referring obstetric fistula patients to repair programmes supported by international organisations operating in Somalia.

Dr. Hersi consults in Somali, Arabic, and English. International humanitarian workers, UN staff, and NGO personnel based in Mogadishu requiring obstetric or gynaecological assessment can access her services at the Somali Turkey Hospital — one of the safer and better-equipped facilities in Mogadishu. She advises international female staff based in Somalia to establish an antenatal care relationship with a specialist early in pregnancy, given the limited access to emergency services outside Mogadishu. She can communicate in English with international patients and with referring clinicians abroad.

Dr. Hersi is a member of the Somali Medical Association and the Somalia Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society (SOGS). She has been recognised by UNFPA Somalia for her contributions to improving emergency obstetric care and training midwives in life-saving skills. She participates in FIGO's East and Southern Africa regional programmes on obstetric fistula prevention and repair. She serves as a clinical supervisor for medical students and obstetric nursing trainees at the Somali Turkey Hospital and has advocated for increased government investment in maternity care infrastructure across Somalia.