Founding Statement – 2025

Welcome to the Somali Society of Gastroenterology (SSG). It is a great honor to introduce this society at a defining moment for Somalia’s medical community the first national platform dedicated to digestive and liver health.

Somalia is a nation that endured more than two decades of conflict, leading to the collapse of medical education from 1991 until the first medical school reopened in 2002. The first locally trained doctors graduated in 2008, marking a 17-year gap in medical workforce development. During this period, our healthcare system survived through the commitment of Somali doctors who graduated before the war, supported by a small number of physicians trained abroad.

Today, our country is experiencing a strong recovery. New generations of doctors are graduating, and we now have specialists across all fields, including Gastroenterology and Hepatology. This renewed capacity represents resilience, hope, and the rebuilding of Somalia’s healthcare sector.

In this new era, we proudly introduce the Hepatology Society of Somalia (HSS) a specialized Section within SSG that unites hepatologists, gastroenterologists, and other experts focused on liver diseases. Together, SSG and HSS provide a coordinated home for clinical excellence, education, and research.

SSG is committed to strengthening GI training, improving endoscopy standards, promoting research, developing national guidelines, and supporting key public-health priorities such as viral hepatitis elimination and cancer control. We invite clinicians, researchers, students, partners, and institutions to join us as we work together to advance digestive and liver health across Somalia.

Prof. Dr. Osman Mohamed Mohamud (Prof. Dufle)
President
Somali Society of Gastroenterology (SSG)