Somalia is one of the countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis. At Mudug Regional Hospital in Galkayo, MSF is changing how it keeps activities running. After years of relying almost entirely on diesel generators for power, MSF has expanded and upgraded the hospital's solar power system, adding solar panels to the roof and battery storage that holds electricity for use after sunset. Today, the hospital draws a large share of its power from the sun, with diesel generators kept as a backup rather than the main source. Diesel has not disappeared entirely – when MSF responds to emergencies, or during periods of peak demand, generators remain essential – but they are no longer what the hospital depends on day to day.
The shift is answering to a broader question facing humanitarian organisations working in one of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries: how to respond to the health consequences of the climate crisis without adding to it.
A healthcare system shaped by the climate crisis
Somalia is on the frontline of climate change. Recurring droughts, failed rains, and devastating floods are pushing families from their homes, driving rising malnutrition among children, repeated episodes of outbreaks like acute watery diarrhea, measles, and malaria. International reports place Somalia among the countries most exposed to climate shocks in the world.
This reality shapes who comes through the doors of MSF supported facilities – children admitted for severe malnutrition after failed rains, families displaced by floods or communities cut off from care during droughts. For years, hospitals like Mudug Regional have relied on diesel to deliver that care, burning fuel that contributes to the same crisis driving the need.
“Our medical teams in Somalia treat the consequences of the climate crisis every day, children admitted for malnutrition after failed rains, communities hit by outbreaks, families displaced by floods. For years, the hospitals where we provide that care have run on diesel. MSF has committed to halve its carbon emissions by 2030 compared to 2019.1 The solar system at Mudug is one part of how that commitment is becoming real on the ground,” said Asmamaw Mengstie, MSF logistics coordinator in Somalia.
A quieter, cleaner hospital
In just over three months – between February and mid-May 2026 – the solar system prevented the use of more than 35,000 litres of diesel. That is the equivalent of running the hospital’s generators around the clock, day and night, for roughly five months. Less diesel burned means less carbon released, lower and more predictable operating costs, and a steady supply of power to medical equipment, lights and the cold chain that keeps vaccines viable.
Inside the hospital, the change is immediately noticeable. Generators are loud; they sit close to the wards and run continuously. Reducing use means quieter conditions for patients, especially newborns in the neonatal unit and children being treated for severe malnutrition. There’s also the added benefit of cleaner air inside the compound.
“From a logistics point of view, the most important thing that the solar system gives us is reliability. The wards are quieter; staff and patients feel that straight away. The power supply to medical equipment and the cold chain is steadier. The cost of running the hospital is more predictable. And less fuel coming in means fewer deliveries on roads that are sometimes long and difficult,” said Mengstie.
Responding to the crisis without adding to it
For decades, humanitarian organisations have been responding to the consequences fuelled by the climate crisis. Every drought-related malnutrition case in Mudug, every episode of waterborne disease treated after a flood, is part of a pattern that climate science has long been predicting. And for decades, the response has carried its own carbon cost.
A solar-powered hospital in Galkayo will not reverse that history. But it is one step towards healthcare that does not compound the crisis it is responding to. For the patients and communities that depend on Mudug Regional Hospital, that step is already making a difference.
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