Edna Adan Ismail: Changing the Future of Women’s Health in Somaliland

She grew up in a country where only 9 percent of women give birth with a skilled birth attendant; where 16 out of every 1000 women die in childbirth; and where 97 percent of girls have their clitoris, labia minora, and labia majora excised in a traditional ritual known to the world as female genital mutilation (FGM).
Instead of living with the status quo, Edna Adan Ismail – who was born and raised in Hargeisa, the capital city of what was then the British protectorate of Somaliland – left home to train as a nurse-midwife at London South Bank University. She then set out to advance the status of women’s health in the Horn of Africa while holding several high-profile positions, including Somalia’s First Lady; the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Nursing Advisor and Regional Technical Advisor for Maternal and Child Health; and Somaliland’s Minister of Family Welfare and Social Development and Foreign Minister. However, teaching was the foundation of her career- training nurses and midwives, educating about the dangers of FGM, and advocating for its abolition.
After retiring from WHO in 1998, Edna decided to invest all her assets (and all her free time) into building a clean, safe, and modern maternity hospital in her hometown of Hargeisa. In March 2002, the first baby at the Edna Adan University Hospital (formerly Edna Adan Maternity Hospital) was born. In the past 11 years, more than 14,000 babies have been born at the hospital. Even though the hospita...

Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - August 6, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Access Champions Childbirth Global Health Publc Health Women's Health Source Type: blogs