Somalia update: Proud to be liaising with Jawaahir Daahir BEM (2BAs, MAs), Founder & Chair Chair of Global Somali Diaspora (GSD), Awarded British Empire Medal by Her Majesty, The Queen, 2014, Winner Woman in The Community Award 2008, Leicestershire Women of Achievement Award, Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce.
Somalia is being ravaged by COVID-19 and drought upon a background of chronic civil unrest lasting more than 30 years.
Somalians are the first African refugees to have arrived in Australia as refugees. They arrive poor and face many struggles in their new countries as migrants facing marginalisation racism and poverty. The English language is also not commonly spoken.
The Somalian diaspora is now enormous for all the reasons we know such as war, human rights and gendered impacts of climate change. These are real and recurring.
Somalia also the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world. Countries such as Australia may be a bit out of touch because of the geographic distance and we mix all of West Africa as a group however these are issues we understand from our experience with refugees, climate change causing droughts here and bushfires.
Somalia needs our help and advocacy which I have been invited to participate in and following my talks with the Somalian Health Minister Dr Fawziyar Abikar Nur hiiraan.com/news4/2021/Feb/181635/somalia_s_health_minister_worried_about_rising_covid_19_cases
We have agreed to involve Australian Health Professionals build and support a better health system with the support of GSD Global Somali Diaspora.
A lot needs to be done but every ounce of support will help. I’ll keep you all updated of our progress.
(Participants: A/Prof Magdalena Simonis, Dr Chris Sotiropoulos, Ms Jawaahir Daahir BEM, Mr Ahmed Tohow)
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM is the Immediate Past President of the AFMW (2020-2023), former President of VMWS (2013 & 2017-2020) and current AFMW National Coordinator (2024-2026). She is a full time clinician who also holds positions on several not for profit organisations, driven by her passion for bridging gaps across the health sector. She is a leading women’s health expert, keynote speaker, climate change and gender equity advocate and government advisor. Magda is member of The Australian Health Team contributing monthly articles.
Magdalena was awarded a lifetime membership of the RACGP for her contributions which include past chair of Women in General Practice, longstanding contribution to the RACGP Expert Committee Quality Care, the RACGP eHealth Expert Committee. She is regularly invited to comment on primary care research though mainstream and medical media and contributes articles on various health issues through newsGP and other publications.
Magdalena has represented the RACGP at senate enquiries and has worked on several National Health Framework reviews. She is author of the RACGP Guide on Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and co-reviewer of the RACGP Red Book Women’s Health Chapter, and reviewer of the RACGP White book
Both an RACGP examiner and University examiner, she undertakes general practice research and is a GP Educator with the Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence, which develops education tools to assist the primary care sector identify, respond to and manage family violence . Roles outside of RACGP include the Strategy and Policy Committee for Breast Cancer Network Australia, Board Director of the Melbourne University Teaching Health Clinics and the elected GP representative to the AMA Federal Council. In 2022. she was award the AMA (Vic) Patrick Pritzwald-Steggman Award 2022, which celebrates a doctor who has made an exceptional contribution to the wellbeing of their colleagues and the community and was listed as Women’s Agenda 2022 finalist for Emerging Leader in Health.
Magdalena has presented at the United Nations as part of the Australian Assembly and was appointed the Australian representative to the World Health Organisation, World Assembly on COVID 19, by the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) in 2021. In 2023, A/Professor Simonis was included on the King’s COVID-19 Champion’s list and was also awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine through a range of roles and to women’s health.
