“We are deeply grateful for the Alborada Trust’s continued support, which enables us to scale up our collaborative efforts to prevent avoidable maternal deaths in Somaliland,”
Hannah Burrows, Programme Manager, Somaliland, KGHP
07 April 2025
King's Global Health Partnerships secures new funding to improve maternal healthcare in Somaliland
King’s Global Health Partnerships is excited to announce new funding from the Alborada Trust to support a two-year project to improve the quality of maternity care at Hargeisa Group Hospital, Somaliland’s main public referral hospital.
Despite progress in Somaliland, the country continues to experience one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally, with 396 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births—compared to fewer than 14 in the UK. The leading causes of maternal death, including postpartum haemorrhage (bleeding), preeclampsia, sepsis (infection), and obstructed labour, are largely preventable with quality basic healthcare.
This project will directly address these challenges by strengthening health worker capacity, improving the systems and processes to provide care, and implementing national guidelines for the prevention and management of the leading causes of maternal death.
It builds on KGHP’s established partnership with Somaliland’s Ministry of Health Development (MoHD) and previous work funded by the Alborada Trust which laid the foundations for this next phase of the project.
As part of KGHP’s unique partnership model, NHS midwives and obstetricians will work alongside local healthcare professionals, providing hands-on training, mentorship, and expertise. Key activities will include:
- Developing and implementing national maternity care guidelines to improve clinical standards and ensure best practices across Somaliland’s regional hospitals.
- Delivering a comprehensive training package for midwives and obstetricians on new Clinical Practice Guidelines and leadership training and mentoring for senior staff, enabling a culture of continuous improvement.
- Strengthening hospital systems and processes, including maternal death reviews, clinical audits, and the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist to ensure consistent, evidence-based care.
- Generating learning and best practice on maternity care in Somaliland, including research on health worker wellbeing and a review of referral systems to improve patient access to emergency care.
The project is expected to improve the quality of maternity care for over 7,380 women giving birth at Hargeisa Group Hospital annually, enhance the skills of 157 midwives and obstetricians, and establish a holistic model for maternal health improvement that can be replicated across Somaliland’s health system.
We will be recruiting a pool of clinical volunteers from the NHS, specialising in midwifery and obstetrics to support this work over the 2-year period. Please check the KGHP website for updates on the recruitment process.