By Mohamed Abdi - Reporter
Ethiopia, 6 December 2025 – The Somali Regional State has warned that only licensed medical professionals will be permitted to provide services to the public, emphasizing that academic certificates alone are insufficient.
The announcement was made by regional state's Director of the Food and Health Monitoring Agency, Abdullahi Mahmoud, during a briefing to State Media on Friday.
Mohmoud said the Health Regulatory Agency has already made significant progress in licensing and monitoring health facilities during the last three months adding that the inspection exercise will continue.
According to the agency, 842 health institutions—including hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies—received renewed operational licenses after verification of service standards and professional qualifications.
In addition to licensing, the agency conducted compliance inspections at 475 health facilities, assessing service quality, staffing levels, equipment reliability, and adherence to national health regulations. Mahmoud said the inspections resulted in multiple administrative actions aimed at strengthening service delivery.
The inspections follows the Ministry of Health ‘No License, No Practice’ directive, which requires all health professionals to hold verified and up-to-date licenses before providing services. Academic certificates alone are no longer accepted without skills validation and formal credential confirmation.
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The agency has also digitized the licensing process. Health professionals now submit applications online and receive approvals through a digital platform, reducing processing time to under 10 minutes. During the same three-month period, 4,560 medical professionals obtained or renewed their licenses through the system.
Beyond the health sector, regulatory inspections were extended to 572 food-related businesses, including hotels, restaurants, bakeries, and supermarkets. The agency reported enforcement actions against 26 establishments, including fines, written warnings, and temporary closures for violations of food-safety standards.
“Out of 572 establishments, including hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets, 26 faced enforcement action—nine were closed and 17 were issued warnings,” Mahmoud said.
The Ministry also highlighted continuing challenges in privately operated care homes and rehabilitation centers, particularly regarding staffing, medication management, and clinical oversight. Agreements have been reached with private operators to collaborate more closely with regional hospitals and ensure that cases requiring specialized care are referred appropriately.
Regional health authorities emphasized that improved reporting, stronger regulation, and increased public compliance—especially regarding safe medicine use and checking product expiry dates—remain essential to protecting community health.