Establishment of the Faculty of Medicine & Surgery

With the collapse of the Somali Government and the following devastating civil war all health services and institutions have stopped functioning. All the health staff has either left the country, killed or internally displaced. The medical school of the former Somali National University which was the only institution producing physicians who were the backbone of the nations? health manpower resources was completely destroyed. All medical equipment were either looted or destroyed.

Before the war, the existing health services in the country were very limited. The health service coverage was also very low. Our country was one of the countries with lowest Doctor-population ratios; nursing-population ratios and health facilities- population ratios;. The civil war has deteriorating that existing burden. The Doctors who are working at moment are aging with no sources of producing new physicians and those who study in other countries are not enough to fill the coming gap. Even if they come back it will be difficult for them in adjusting to work in this difficult situation.

?        To look a solution for this burden in the country we established, the faculty of Medicine & Surgery of Amoud University at the beginning of 2001. Undergraduate programme of the faculty is 6 year medical studies followed by an internship of 12 months leading to the degree of bachelor of medicine and surgery. 

Objectives of the faculty of Medicine & Surgery

1.      To produce graduate doctors and specialists in the long term who are qualified to solve health problems at the level of individual, families and communities with a high competence in knowledge and skills with emphasis in applying the code of medical ethics.

2.      Will be involved in research activities individual and community levels to determine the preventive and curative measures of all the prevailing health problems. The research will be carried in collaboration with the health authorities and other research institutions inside and outside the country and will be relevant to community health problems.

3.      Undertake continuing medical education to maintain and improve the competence of practicing professionals

4.      Participate in the development and improvement of the quality of health services of the country.

5.      Aims at promoting exemplary primary, secondly and tertiary health care and related community services.

6.      Promote health knowledge through research in all areas related to health care including basic science and clinical service paying more attention to the cultural and behavioral aspects in determining health medical education.

7.      Educate communities in matters related to health (Water, Sanitation etc)

Basic elements of the program and curriculum

Basic principles

1.      The school adopts a new approach to medical education and shall promote;

a)      The concept of health promotion, disease prevention, cure and rehabilitation

b)     The provision of health care to individuals, families and communities where they live and work as a basic elements of PHC

c)     Multi-sectorial involvement for promotion of health

2.      Teamwork approach shall be followed. The curriculum shall prepare students to use this approach in their medical practices after graduation.

3.      The health service sector and the education sector are complementary such that

a)      Those engaged in training render services and those in service render training

b)     The effort of the faculty in community education will be integrated with the work of medical school

4.      The faculty will provide community based medical education/learning experience for the students and services for the community involved.

5.      The curriculum will be community oriented integrated and problem solving

6.      The faculty will carry out research activities in collaboration with health and other research institutions inside and outside the country such research shall be relevant to community health problems.

Medical strategies of educational program

The educational strategies of the school will be based on the following.

1.      The system will be compatible with the other health programs in the country

2.      The undergraduate programme consists of twelve semesters and one year internship

3.      A student centered approach will largely be used with emphasis on self learning to develop in students the ability and willingness to pursue their own learning after graduation.

Phases of the curriculum and duration

Phase I           4 Semester    

                      Basic science and humanities

relevant to medicine, elements of medical science introduction to community and medical study. 

Phase II         4 Semester

                      Normal and Abnormal structure,

                     Function and Behavior with clinical application and methods at the                                                                  

                     level of individuals, family, integrated fashion using problem solving,                           self learning etc.

Phase III        4 Semester    

                         Management clerkship/balanced

                       practical training in all levels of health care. (Primary, secondary                

                       and tertiary)

At the moment we have four batches in the faculty. The total number of students is 33 (by 2005).  Every year fifteen students enroll into the faculty on condition that they have passed the general requirements of the freshman year of the university with at least a GPA of 3.00. The first batch is at the end of fifth year of their medical studies and is now in clinical phase. Most of the lecturers are the former lecturers of the Faculty of Medicine & Surgery of Somali National University. The faculty uses Allaaleh hospital and Borama general hospital as teaching hospitals.

Our Mission

The staff of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of Amoud University is committed in developing the full potential of each student as life-long learners and responsible citizens of the society. The faculty integrates and enhances each student's learning experience throughout the university community with engagement in quality activities, facilities, programs, services and coming in contact with the community they will serve after their graduation.

To build on a foundation for carrying out researches relevant to the health problems of the country to formulate the preventive and curative measures.

Since the curriculum of our medical education is community oriented, integrated and problem solving urban and rural communities is allocated for the faculty which will provide appropriate field training and community development opportunities.

Within that communities the following activities will be carried on :

Abnormalities in the community will be attached and studied as a problem.

1-     Students will be introduced to the methods of assessing health problems in the community (including data collecting, analysis and interpretation) and deciding on priorities and intervention on the basis of specific orientation community diagnosis. The students will also identify other problems within the community in collaboration with committees from the village, decide on priorities and look solutions for the problems they identified with the community committees

2-     The students will be introduced to study the role of the community, the role of socioeconomic and other factors on development of diseases.

3-     Relationship between environment and host through field training and visits

Daraymacaane was chosen as training site. It is five kilometers northeast of Borama. The community who live in Daraymacaane is agropastorlist. Since most of the Somalis are nomads the Medical Students has to be exposed to the communities they will work after their graduation.,.