Abdilahi Abdi Ali (22) is a first year medical student from Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Do you live with your parents or on your own?

I live at my parents’.

How’s university life in Somaliland?
The university in Somaliland is easy and enjoyable. As we have only two medical schools in Somaliland, many students from various regions in Somaliland come here to study. We share different life experiences with eachother. But during exams, we don’t usually get time to discuss.

In which study year are you? 
I’m in the first year after medical preparatory which takes two semesters.

How many years is medical school in Somaliland? 
Medical school consist of six years of study and two years of internship, in which the student works as a physician and even conducts surgeries in all Somaliland hospitals.

How many hours a week do you spend on your study?
We spend 25-30 hours on studying in the first three years which are mainly theoretical lessons. In this time students are required to cover all basic sciences related to the field. But last three years studying take longer as practical lessons are carried out at public hospitals.

Is it possible for everyone to study medicine (considering the costs) in Somaliland? 
It is possible for many somalilanders to study medicine at Hargeisa medical school in terms of financial situation. The annual fee is $450, other expenses are about $400. Government gives small support on yearly bases, but the medical association of Somaliland supports even more. Few students get scholarships and grants. However, the people who score highest marks in entrance get the admission, but this is a small percentage of the applicants.

What do you think is the best part of the medical education in Somaliland?
There are many good things, one of the best things are the lecturers. They are the doctors who work in the field and in the hospitals and they have real experience. They can give the students cases of their own experience as well the knowledge of medicine.

If you can change one thing of the medical education in Somaliland, what would that be?
We don’t have university medical laboratory where we can perform practical lessons. And students go to public hospitals to do practical on real patients which creates difficulties to some students.

If you compare studying medicine in Somaliland with studying medicine in other countries, what do you think is the biggest difference?
Studying medicine in Somaliland is different from studying in any other country both educationally and socially. In education, the oldest medical school in Somaliland is just ten years old, after the civil war. And many things are not as they supposed to be but every thing is getting forward. Socially, of course, there are differences between Somaliland and other countries. Somalilanders are good at many things while the opposite is possible to many other things.

Describe your life in 2020…. 
In 2020, I’m already full cardiologist. And I hope I will help many patients who are really in need to get a qualified doctor who can take care of their health problems.