Mid-Wife’s Commitment to Transforming Maternal Health and Primary Healthcare in Hargeisa

Attending to expectant women has been Farhiya Hassan’s passion and a life’s journey. For over two decades, she has helped many women in Hargeisa, even in difficult circumstances when she had to make do with very limited resources and ever-mounting pressure. Across Hargeisa, Farhiya’s hand has been felt by many women through her routine rounds at medical facilities and in homes.

But Farhiya is a woman of many hats; she’s also an entrepreneur.

“After working as a midwife for several years, I decided to start my own business, but still within the medical profession,” Farhiya says. Access to basic medical assistance and drugs was a big challenge in her neighbourhood. Easily manageable diseases that required primary healthcare attention became complicated conditions because there was no health facility in her neighbourhood. People had to travel long distances just to buy a painkiller, Farhiya says.

‘So, I decided to open a small pharmacy here, but I did not have enough money to stock it and ensure people here got the medicine they wanted.” As part of her services, Farhiya provides diagnoses of common ailments and prescribes medicine to patients in her pharmacy which also doubles as a clinic.

Farhiya says she learnt about a loan facility from MicroDahab MFI, an implementing partner of FIG-Somalia in Hargeisa. “They only asked me for my ID and business permit, and the rest was simple.” She got her first loan of $1000, which enabled her to buy more drugs and refurbish her premises. Thanks to the loan, Farhiya has expanded her business and increased her income. She earns $700 per month after covering her expenses, including rent, electricity, and water. Besides supporting her family, Farhiya says her pharmacy has eased the challenges faced by the local community.

When Farhiya set up the clinic, she never thought it would be the port of call for most expectant women, even from neighbouring villages. Many women seeking pre- and post-natal services visit her clinic before they head to the big hospitals. “I cannot handle all the cases because my facility is small, but I advise and refer them to the main hospitals in the city,” Farhiya adds.

For Farhiya, the pharmacy is a fulfillment of a desire to continue offering medical help to local communities while generating income. “When you give the proper advice and professionally support your patients, you build a relationship with them which spans generations. I always urge young medical professionals to be selfless, empathetic and professional at all times.”

Farhiya aspires to expand her business and offer a wide range of primary healthcare services to her local community and beyond. Through the FIG-Somalia programme which aims to stimulate economic growth in Somalia, Farhiya is confident she can get the necessary support from MicroDahab MFI given the relationship she has nurtured over time.