MALNOURISHED CHILDREN TURNED AWAY FROM CLINIC IN BESIEGED QANSADHERE
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The head of a small clinic in a remote part of southern Somalia’s Bay region says he is having to turn away malnourished children because he has nothing to treat them with.
Mustaf Maalim Mayow, the only doctor at Qansadhere mother and child health centre, confirmed that seven children had died of malnutrition during the past week.
Supply routes to the district were cut off by Al-Shabab militants about a month ago.
Dr Mustaf said five to 10 children malnourished children were being brought to the centre every day.
“This is the only health centre in Qansahdhere and the parents visit this facility in the hope of getting medication and nutritious food for their children. The only thing we can do is to check and record their condition and give some advice to parents,” Dr Mustaf said.
Health workers have been visiting sick children in their homes. The centre has registered around 100 children suffering from malnutrition at home.
Food in the district has become acutely scarce for most people.
Khadijo Hasan Ali, a mother of three children in Qansadhere, told Radio Ergo by telephone that two of her children, aged eight months and 18 months, were suffering from malnutrition. She was able to cook them porridge once in 24 hours. She said she had to borrow sorghum from neighbors in a slightly better situation.
“The children have grown so thin, their heads have grown big. They are very weak and due to lack of energy, they can’t even walk,” Khadijo said.
“We are living in an open air prison. There is no food for sale in the market. If you find someone who has some food stocks, he or she will say it’s not for sale, I am using it.”
Khadijo’s family used to depend on their farm 30 km from the town. However, there has been inadequate rainfall for the last two rainy season and their harvest was pitiful. They had survived on the support they received from relatives.
The few families who managed to harvest some crops last month are the only ones with just enough to eat.
A kilo of sugar has doubled from 20,000 ($1) to 40,000 Somali shillings because of the general shortage.
Mohamed Noor Isack, a local elder, told Radio Ergo the only way to help the residents was by bringing in food by air as the roads had all been cut off.
Qansadhere experienced a prolonged blockaed of supply routes three years ago, during which women on donkeys used to smugle in food using tracks through the bush.
