Fragile states need essential national health research: the case of Somalia

Constituted on July 1, 1960, Somalia inherited a weak post-colonial, health-care system based on curing disease rather than preventing it, with most rural and nomadic populations having negligible access to essential health-care services. The next three decades resulted in notable improvements through expansion of health facilities and mobile outreach services. In the 1970s, academic institutions upscaled their training of health-care providers, who were then deployed as across the health-care system.