Saturday March 1, 2025

Dr. Mohamed Yusuf Hassan, the longtime director of Medina Hospital in Mogadishu, dedicated his life to saving thousands of lives during Somalia’s most turbulent years. As a leading surgeon, he operated through war, insurgencies, and devastating bombings, training generations of Somali doctors. He was laid to rest in Mogadishu after decades of service to his country’s healthcare sector.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Dr. Mohamed Yusuf Hassan, a respected Somali surgeon who spent decades operating in war zones and saving lives through some of Somalia’s darkest periods, was laid to rest in Mogadishu on Saturday. For decades, Dr. Mohamed Yusuf Hassan stood between life and death in Somalia’s war-torn capital, his scalpel moving under dim surgical lights as gunfire rattled outside.

The longtime director of Medina Hospital led through some of the bloodiest years in Somalia’s history, including the Ethiopian military intervention and the deadly insurgency battles that followed. He trained a generation of doctors and treated thousands of casualties from conflicts, bombings, and insurgent attacks. On some days, his team performed dozens of operations on bullet-ridden and bomb-shattered bodies.

“There were too few surgeons, so he trained new graduates in surgery to meet the overwhelming demand. Some days, we received as many as 200 casualties from Ethiopian bombardments,” his son, Dr. Rooble Mohamed Yusuf, told the BBC.

Dr. Yusuf’s career was shaped by chaos. When Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in 2006, Medina Hospital became a battlefield infirmary, overwhelmed with the mangled bodies of civilians caught in the crossfire. The few doctors left were young and inexperienced. He trained them on the spot.

Dr. Yusuf played a critical role in the response to some of Mogadishu’s deadliest bombings, including the 2011 Ministry of Higher Education attack and the 2017 Zoobe truck bombing, which killed over 500 people.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud paid tribute to Dr. Yusuf, highlighting his dedication to the country’s health sector.

“Dr. Mohamed Yusuf Hassan played a major role in saving the Somali community. He was one of the most important pillars of the health sector, volunteering his time to ensure the health of the community and producing generations of skilled health professionals who continue to serve the people and the country,” said President Mohamud.

“Inna Lillaahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’un (To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return). May Allah have mercy on Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, the Chairman of the National Health Professionals Council, who served his people during difficult times and stood by his country to achieve sustainable health development. He specialized in health sciences, guided professionals, and provided exemplary leadership,” the President added.

Born in 1950 in Afgooye, Lower Shabelle region, Dr. Yusuf completed his early education in Qoryooley, Baidoa, and Marka before graduating from Sheikh Hassan Barsame High School in Mogadishu in 1966.

In 1970, he moved to Italy to study medicine, earning his degree in 1975. He specialized in general surgery, completing his training in 1980, before pursuing additional expertise in laparoscopic surgery.

During his studies, he worked in various Italian hospitals before returning to Somalia in 1986 as a lecturer at Somali National University’s medical faculty. However, when the civil war erupted in 1991, he left for Italy, where he served as head of surgery at a hospital for three years.

In 1995, he moved to Africa, working as chief surgeon at a government hospital in Mbabane, Eswatini. He later served in South Africa before relocating to Maputo, Mozambique, where he led a hospital’s surgical department.

Dr. Yusuf returned to Somalia in 2001, joining Medina Hospital in Mogadishu. By 2004, he was appointed head of surgery. Four years later, he became the hospital’s general director, a position he held until 2020. During his tenure, he was twice elected chairman of the Somali Medical Association and taught at Banadir University’s medical faculty.

Yet, Somalia kept calling him back.

By 2001, he was back in Mogadishu, heading Medina Hospital’s surgical unit. By 2004, he was running the entire hospital. He stayed for 16 years, even as suicide bombings turned the city into rubble.

His work made him a target. In late 2008, Dr. Yusuf narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while travelling between Mogadishu and Afgooye. Gunmen ambushed him near Sheikh Ibrahim checkpoint, blocking his vehicle and opening fire.

“Gunmen stepped out of a minivan and started shooting. Instead of panicking, he accelerated and ran over one of the attackers, clearing a path. One of his passengers was shot in the shoulder, but he remained unharmed and drove away calmly,” his son recounted.

His bullet-riddled vehicle made it safely to Mogadishu. Despite the attack, Dr. Yusuf refused to leave Somalia. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which supported Medina Hospital, offered to relocate him abroad for his safety, but he insisted on staying to continue his work.

His death marks the passing of a generation of medics who treated wounds no textbooks could prepare them for. But his legacy—of skill, courage, and unyielding commitment—lives on in every doctor who once stood beside him in the operating room.