Aamin Ambulance

Aamin Ambulance is a 24 hour, free ambulance service in Mogadishu – the only one of its kind.[1][2]

Background

Aamin Ambulance was founded by a dentist called Dr Abdulkadir Abdirahman Adan, who returned to Somalia during the war in 2006 to find no health services. Aamin Ambulance was co-founded by an economist called Mr. Mohamed Farah, who worked with humanitarian agencies and public sector. Dr Abdulkadir was inspired by Abdul Sattar Edhi,[3] the founder of the Edhi Foundation in Pakistan.[4] Since then, the team has grown to 35 nurses, paramedics and drivers.[5]

Organisation and funding

These volunteers operate a fleet of 10 ambulances in Mogadishu, which were brought second-hand from Dubai for the cost of around $5000 each. Two of these vehicles were donated by the World Health Organisation.[6] Other donations include walkie-talkies from the UNDP[5] and a first aid course from the ICRC in 2016, but most of the funding comes from Somali citizens – medical students and local businessmen – to support operations that cost around $12000 per month in fuel, salaries and supplies.[6]

Aamin respond to calls ranging from minor injuries and illnesses to terrorist attacks. On October 14th 2017, a truck bomb killed over 300 people in the Hodan district of Mogadishu. Aamin ambulances brought more than 250 injured to hospital.[2] Response to any call is made more difficult by the large numbers of road blocks in the city, and by soldiers who block their access[7] and sometimes fire at them – in 2008, an ambulance was destroyed, and the driver and patient killed, by an Ethiopian tank shell.[1]

The organisation is nonetheless well regarded by the Federal Government of Somalia. Dr Abdullah Hashi Ali, the Director General of Somalia’s Health Ministry, has given Aamin an honorary certificate. The government does not fund them, but supports them and encourages aid agencies to do so as well.[1]

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References
  1. Houreld, Katharine; Sheikh, Abdi (6 April 2017). "As Somali bombings spike, an unlikely savior steps forward". Uk.reuters.com. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  2. Allison, Simon. "The unsung heroes responding to Somalia's deadliest attack". Mg.co.za. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  3. Mohamed, Nadifa (23 October 2017). "How many dead Somalis does it take for us to care? - Nadifa Mohamed". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  4. Macphail, Cameron (28 February 2017). "Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistan's 'Father Teresa' who 'adopted' 20,000 children". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  5. "Mogadishu's free ambulance service: a godsend to victims of violence". Unsom.unmissions.org. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  6. "As Somali bombings spike, an unlikely savior steps forward". Uk.reuters.com. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  7. "Chaotic response to Somali bombing cost lives, medics say". Reuters.com. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-45952432

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