Troops from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) serving under African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), have donated an assortment of medical supplies and food items to Dhobley General Hospital.
ATMIS Deputy Sector Two Commander, Colonel Joel Maiyo, said the food donation was to help with feeding of patients, especially children admitted with severe malnutrition as a result of the ongoing drought. The medical supplies are to help the hospital in meeting the medical needs of patients.
“We came to Dhobley General Hospital to donate medicine and food to support all patients, especially children, women, and the elderly who are admitted to this hospital. Our mandate as ATMIS is to support the Somali people, and this includes supporting the Somali Security Forces in protecting and taking care of welfare of the population. This donation forms part of our civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) activities,” said Col. Maiyo.
Receiving the items, the Director of Dhobley Hospital, Mohamed Yusuf Hassan, called for more support from ATMIS and Somalia’s international partners to help alleviate the suffering of the vulnerable members of the community.
“We appreciate this timely donation, and it must be said that ATMIS has always supported us in times of need. This donation will help alleviate some of the challenges we face. On many occasions, ATMIS has helped us deal with serious medical cases that cannot be treated in our hospitals due to lack of specialist care. We have taken patients to the ATMIS hospital where they have been treated, and we appreciate that very much,” said the hospital director.
Beyond combat activities to degrade Al-Shabaab, ATMIS forces in Somalia undertake Quick Impact Projects, which are small-scale projects that address the basic needs of local populations. Some of the activities include drilling of boreholes, refurbishing hospitals, building schools and markets to help improve the lives and welfare of the local communities living under its areas of responsibility.
