STORY: While praising frontline health workers, UN envoy

calls for continued support to help Somalia’s COVID-19

fight

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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/SOMALI NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 21/JUNE/2020, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide shot, De Martini Hospital in Mogadishu

2. Med shot, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James
Swan, arriving
3. Med shot, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan
walking to meet with the hospital administrators and World Health Organization
(WHO) officials
4. Med shot, UN envoy James Swan, accompanied by officials of the De Martini
Hospital and the WHO entering to inspect the facility
5. Wide shot, health care workers attend to a patient
6. Close up shot, a patient at the De Martini Hospital
7. Wide shot, UN envoy James Swan and the delegation in one of the wards
8. Med shot, female ward
9. Med shot, UN envoy James Swan and other officials inspecting
10. Wide shot, health care workers
11. Wide shot, UN envoy James Swan getting a brief from the hospital Director
12. Med shot, James Swan and Dr. Fawziya Abikar Nur, the Federal Minister of
Health and Social Care
13. Close up shot, officials of WHO and the hospital administrators at the brief
14. Med shot, hospital director speaking
15. SOUNDBITE: (English) UN envoy to Somalia, James Swan
“As friends and partners, we have been honored to help you and to stand by your
side and to provide support. The core work and leadership has been yours, but it has
been our privilege to offer some assistance through the World Health Organization,
through International Organization for Migration, through the United Nations
Children’s Fund and through many other UN entities that have contributed since the
beginning of this pandemic.”

16. Med shot, UN envoy James Swan touring the facility

17. Med shot, a doctor attending to a patient
18. Pan shot, hospital tour
19. SOUNDBITE: (English) UN envoy to Somalia, James Swan
“I want to extend our deep appreciation to all the frontline health workers, critical
care staff, those in support positions who have provided critical care, who have
provided medical services, have supported the testing and other support services
and, of course, have treated the patients. You are on the frontlines delivering
response to those affected by the disease and you have the gratitude and
appreciation of your nation but also of your friends and partners.”

20. Med shot, Dr. Fawziya Abikar Nur, the Federal Minister of Health and Social Care
speaking
21. Close up shot, UN envoy James Swan listening
22. Wide shot, hospital senior healthcare workers and WHO officials
23. Close up shot, hospital senior health care workers listening
24. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr. Fawziya Abikar Nur, the Federal Minister of Health
and Social Care
“All the international partners, I would like to thank you very much. All the UN
agencies; IOM, WHO, UNICEF and international NGOs. It was an effort but only the
government but by all who took part in helping in small and big ways but we are very
grateful for that. Yes, the challenges are enormous as is usual in the health sector.”

25. Wides shot, the delegation touring the Outpatient Department, and lab section
26. Med shot, a doctor attending to patients
27. Med shot, UN envoy James Swan touring the facility
28. Pan shot, ambulances
29. Med shot, healthcare workers listening to UN envoy James Swan
30. Close up shot, UN envoy James Swan
31. Med shot, healthcare workers
32. Wide shot, healthcare workers
33. Close up shot, UN envoy James Swan speaking
34. Med shot, senior health workers at the hospital
35. Wide shot, healthcare workers and the delegation in front of the Intensive Care
Unit, department
36. SOUNDBITE: (English) the World Health Organization Country Representative
for Somalia, Dr. Mamunur Rahman Malik
“What we have seen now, the cases have dropped and also the deaths are
decreasing. However, the outbreak is far from over. It is a long marathon race so we
also reminded our health workforce that the outbreak is far from over. We need to
keep our focus, we need to maintain our vigilance and we need to keep doing the
things that we have been doing in De Martini hospital to serve humanity. A number
of UN agencies have helped this hospital to improve the case management and to
improve facilities for patient care. I would like to thank all our UN colleagues and UN
agencies who have responded to the call of the government,”

37. Wide shot, group photo health care workers and the delegation
38. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Dr. Abdilatif Mohamed Hussein, a doctor at the Hospital
“We have been treating patients suffering from COVID-19 many of who had other
underlying conditions like diabetes, hypertension, asthma and cancer. These patients
come to us in very critical conditions and we treat and support them using the WHO
guidelines."

39. Wide shot, the delegation leaving

While praising frontline health workers, UN envoy calls for continued support to
help Somalia’s COVID-19 fight

Mogadishu, 21 June 2020 – Support provided by international partners has enabled

Somalia to provide facilities for patient care in the country’s response to the COVID-
19 pandemic, but more international assistance is needed to help the federal
government in critical response areas, the United Nations (UN) envoy to Somalia said
during a visit to De Martini Hospital in Mogadishu today.

“As friends and partners, we have been honoured to help you and to stand by your
side and to provide support. The core work and leadership has been yours, but it has
been our privilege to offer some assistance through the World Health Organization,
the International Organization for Migration, through the United Nations Children’s
Fund and through many other UN entities that have contributed since the beginning
of this pandemic,” the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia,
James Swan, said.

The world body’s envoy was speaking after touring the facilities at the hospital and
meeting healthcare workers to appreciate first-hand Somalia’s response to the
COVID-19 public health emergency. The De Martini Hospital has been central to
testing, case detection and critical care support in Somalia. Mr. Swan called for
continuing international support for the government’s response to the pandemic and
praised the efforts of healthcare workers.

“I want to extend our deep appreciation to all the frontline health workers, critical
care staff, those in support positions who have provided critical care, who have
provided medical services, have supported the testing and other support services
and, of course, have treated the patients,” Mr. Swan said. “You are on the frontlines
delivering response to those affected by the disease and you have the gratitude and
appreciation of your nation but also of your friends and partners.”

Multiple fronts of support

The United Nations family’s support for Somalia’s COVID-19 response includes
planning, coordination, and policy development support; capacity-building of health
professionals working in laboratories and hospitals; the establishment and operation
of a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) laboratory in Mogadishu, Garowe and
Hargeisa; logistical assistance with the supply of personal protection equipment
(PPE), ventilators and other equipment; and providing operational support to the
hospitals, isolation centres and laboratories.

“All the international partners: I would like to thank you very much. All the UN
agencies; IOM, WHO, UNICEF and international NGOs. It was an effort not only by
the government but by all who took part in helping in small and big ways and we are
very grateful for that. Yes, the challenges are enormous as is usual in the health
sector,” said Somalia’s Federal Minister for Health and Social Care, Dr. Fawziya
Abikar Nur, who accompanied Mr. Swan on the visit.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting patient and case management
in all isolation centres, providing salaries to newly recruited health care workers and
strengthening community mobilisation and engagement, especially in the area of
case detection and tracing.

Notable improvements

“What we have seen now, the cases have dropped and also the deaths are
decreasing. However, the outbreak is far from over. It is a long marathon race so we
also reminded our health workforce that the outbreak is far from over. We need to
keep our focus, we need to maintain our vigilance and we need to keep doing the
things that we have been doing in De Martini hospital to serve humanity. A number
of UN agencies have helped this hospital to improve the case management and to
improve facilities for patient care. I would like to thank all our UN colleagues and UN
agencies who have responded to the call of the government,” the WHO Country
Representative for Somalia, Dr. Mamunur Rahman Malik, said.

The hospital has 71 dedicated isolation beds for COVID-19 patients and 16
ventilators, with its resources including an isolation centre. Along with other
partners of the UN System in Somalia, WHO continues to provide technical, logistical
and operational support to the hospital with patient management and care.

According to the federal Ministry of Health and WHO, as of 20 June there were more
than 2 755 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Somalia, with 88 deaths. The cases
include 133 healthcare professionals, with one reported death among them.

“We have been treating patients suffering from COVID-19, many of whom had other
underlying conditions like diabetes, hypertension, asthma and cancer. These patients
come to us in very critical conditions and we treat and support them using the WHO
guidelines," said Dr. Abdilatif Mohamed Hussein, who works at the hospital’s
Intensive Care Unit.