Hormuud Salaam Foundation honours Italian doctors for life-saving heart surgeries

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s Hormuud Salaam Foundation on Sunday honoured an Italian medical team and diplomats for helping arrange life-saving heart surgeries for 24 Somali children treated in Italy, organisers said.

The appreciation ceremony in Mogadishu marked the completion of a humanitarian mission that transferred the children to Niguarda Hospital in Milan, in Italy’s Lombardy region, for specialised paediatric cardiac care unavailable in Somalia.

“This programme shows what can be achieved through dedicated partnership,” said Abdullahi Noor Osman, chairman of the Hormuud Salaam Foundation, praising the role of Italian heart surgeon Stefano Marianeschi, programme initiator Edna Moallin Abdirahman and the Italian embassy in facilitating the operation.

Somalia’s Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibriil Haji Abdirashiid Abdi led the ceremony, joined by State Minister of Health Maryan Mohamed Hussein, as certificates of appreciation were presented to members of the Italian delegation.

Abdi said the initiative had transformed the lives of families who previously had little hope of accessing advanced treatment for children suffering from heart disease.

Marianeschi, who led the surgical team, described the foundation as the “backbone” of the programme and said the partnership would continue. During their visit to Mogadishu, the Italian doctors screened an additional 55 children who are expected to travel to Italy for treatment later in 2026, organisers said.

Italy’s ambassador to Somalia, Pier Dacco, reaffirmed Rome’s long-standing humanitarian ties with Somalia, saying the embassy remained committed to facilitating visas and logistical support for medical evacuations.

The programme was carried out through cooperation between the Lombardy regional authorities, Niguarda Hospital and Somalia’s Ministry of Health, with local coordination by Welcare and SIMAN hospitals.

In a moving conclusion to the ceremony, the recovered children and their parents presented the doctors with personal gifts and certificates, a gesture of gratitude for the surgeries that have given the youth a second chance at life.

GAROWE ONLINE