Eight private hospitals in Hargeisa are expanding access to routine immunization, ensuring more children receive essential protection against vaccine-preventable diseases
Four-day-old Abdiaziz Abdirisak rest peacefully as a nurse at Gargaar Hospital gently administered his first vaccines—BCG and oral polio. Too young to understand the significance of the moment, the newborn had just received his first protection against diseases that once claimed the lives of countless children.
His mother, Ugbaad Said, watched closely comforted by the knowledge that her son had received these life-saving vaccines before even leaving the hospital.
“My son, Abdiaziz Abdirisak, was born here at Gargaar Hospital four days ago. He has already received his BCG and polio vaccines. It is important to ensure that every child receives all recommended vaccines. They protect children from preventable diseases and reduce the severity of illness if they are exposed. My older children also received all their routine and booster vaccines.”
For families like Ugbaad’s, accessing routine immunization has become easier thanks to a groundbreaking partnership between the Somaliland Ministry of Health Development and eight private hospitals in Hargeisa.
Signed in August 2025, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), supported by UNICEF, marked a major milestone in integrating private healthcare providers into Somaliland’s national immunization programme. Together, the participating hospitals conduct tens of thousands of deliveries every year, creating an opportunity to reach children with life-saving vaccines from the moment they are born.
For decades, routine immunization services were primarily available through public health facilities, leaving many newborns delivered in private hospitals to begin their vaccination journey elsewhere. Today, children born in participating private hospitals receive routine vaccines before discharge, while families returning for maternal and child health services can continue their children’s vaccination schedule in the same trusted facilities.
The partnership is helping ensure that where a child is born no longer determines whether they receive timely immunization.
Reaching Every Child
The initiative has already strengthened routine immunization services across Hargeisa, expanding access for newborns while helping reduce the number of zero-dose children—those who have never received a single vaccine.
According to Mohamed Abdi, Director of Child Immunization at the Somaliland Ministry of Health Development, the programme is reaching children who previously missed routine vaccination because they lived far from public health facilities or faced other barriers to access.
“The vaccination figures from private health facilities include many zero-dose children who had not received any vaccines since birth. In many cases, this was due to limited access, as they lived far from public health facilities that provide routine immunization services.”
By leveraging the extensive reach of private healthcare providers, the Ministry of Health Development and UNICEF are ensuring that more children receive essential vaccines regardless of where they are born or where their families seek healthcare.
Modernizing Immunization Services
Beyond expanding access, the partnership has transformed how immunization services are delivered.
At KAAH Hospital, one of Hargeisa’s largest private hospitals, paper-based recording systems have been replaced with digital reporting using iPads provided through the programme. Vaccination data can now be captured electronically and submitted directly to government health authorities, improving accuracy, timeliness and accountability.
According to Mohamed Abdi, Executive Director of KAAH Hospital, the collaboration has strengthened both service delivery and data management.
“The partnership has been very successful. We receive an adequate and timely supply of vaccines from the Ministry, and this collaboration has been ongoing for almost a year. Digital documentation of vaccination services has also been introduced, enabling us to capture and submit vaccination data electronically. Previously, all of this was done manually. Over the past 11 months, KAAH Hospital has vaccinated 8,250 children.”
The partnership also equips participating hospitals with vaccines, syringes, cold-chain equipment and technical support while ensuring that immunization data are integrated into the national health information system.
Government immunization teams continue to supervise participating hospitals, monitor vaccine quality and ensure compliance with national vaccination schedules.
Protecting More Children
At Gargaar Hospital, where approximately 600 babies are born every month, healthcare workers say the partnership has significantly improved vaccine availability and record-keeping.
The programme has also enabled hospitals to provide newly introduced vaccines, including the Rotavirus vaccine and Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), protecting children against severe diarrhoeal disease and pneumonia—two leading causes of child mortality.
Najah Farah, an immunization health worker at Gargaar Hospital, has witnessed the impact firsthand.
“This partnership has expanded access to essential childhood vaccines. The iPads provided through the programme have greatly improved our data recording and record-keeping. Every month, around 600 babies are delivered at Gargaar Hospital. They receive routine vaccines, including Penta 1, 2 and 3, as well as the newly introduced Rotavirus and Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV).”
Across town at Edna Adan Teaching and Referral Hospital, the experience has been similar.
Hinda Ibrahim, an immunization nurse, says integrating private hospitals into the national immunization programme has made services more accessible for families while strengthening collaboration with the Ministry of Health Development.
“Since the start of the partnership, our collaboration with the Ministry of Health has been excellent. We have increased the availability of vaccines for children born at the hospital, as well as for children from the surrounding communities who come here for immunization.”
A Mother’s Promise
For Rahma Abdirahman, bringing her 40-day-old son Arafat Moulid for his routine immunization is both a responsibility and an act of love.
Having successfully raised three older children who completed their vaccination schedules, she understands the protection vaccines provide and is determined to give her youngest child the same healthy start.
“Today, I brought my 40-day-old baby, Arafat Moulid, to receive his scheduled vaccines. Vaccines protect children against many serious diseases by helping their bodies build immunity. As a mother of four, my three older children completed their vaccination schedules, and I will ensure that this baby completes his as well.”
Her commitment reflects the confidence many parents place in routine immunization, confidence that continues to grow as services become more convenient and accessible.
Looking Ahead
Building on the success of the initiative in Hargeisa, the Somaliland Ministry of Health Development plans to expand the Public-Private Partnership model to additional regions, beginning with Burao and Borama.
Before new hospitals join the programme, each facility undergoes a comprehensive readiness assessment covering cold-chain capacity, maternal and child health services, trained personnel and data management systems.
“As a Ministry, we are now planning to expand this model to other regions, beginning with Burao and Borama. Our goal is to increase equitable access to immunization services for all children. Before expanding, we assess each hospital’s readiness, including cold-chain capacity, maternal and child health services, trained staff and data management systems. We are optimistic that by the end of this year and into next year, we will successfully roll out this partnership to additional regions,” says Mohamed Abdi.
This initiative is the result of sustained UNICEF advocacy with the Government of Somaliland to expand access to routine immunization through both government and private hospitals, with a particular focus on reaching zero-dose and under-immunized children who may otherwise be missed by traditional vaccination services. The partnership is aligned with UNICEF’s Community Public-Private Partnership (CPPP) approach, which leverages the reach, trust and capacity of private health facilities to complement the public health system.
Beyond providing vaccines, UNICEF has supported participating hospitals with cold chain equipment, health worker training and technical guidance to ensure vaccines are safely stored and administered according to national standards. UNICEF and the Somaliland Ministry of Health Development also conduct joint supportive supervision to monitor service quality, strengthen capacity and address implementation gaps. Through this partnership, families seeking care at private hospitals can access essential childhood vaccines closer to where they live, helping to reduce missed opportunities for vaccination and bringing Somaliland closer to the goal of ensuring every child is protected, regardless of where they receive health services.
For newborns like Abdiaziz, the journey toward a healthy future begins with a tiny vaccine and a mother’s embrace.
For Somaliland, it is a reminder that when governments, private healthcare providers and UNICEF work together, every child regardless of where they are born can receive the protection they need to survive and thrive.
