Supporting 'medicine at a distance' for delivery of hospital services in war-torn Somalia: how well are we doing?

Background: We describe an innovative strategy implemented to support national staff at Istarlin Hospital in the conflict setting of Somalia; and report on inpatient morbidities, mortality and adverse hospital exit outcomes.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of hospital data for 2011.

Results: Of 8584 admitted patients, the largest numbers were for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) (2114; 25%), normal deliveries (1355; 16%) and diarrhoeal diseases (715; 8%).