On Thursday April 9th, the President of the Republic of Somaliland, HE Muse Bihi Abdi sacked the Manager of Hargeisa Group Hospital Dr. Yassin Abdi Arab and reappointed the former manager that he replaced a little over a year ago.
According to high ranking official at Hargeisa Group Hospital Dr. Yassin informed them on Thursday of the President’s decision that he has been replaced effective immediately and that he will handover to his successor Dr. Ahmed Omar Askar.
In his second short tenure at Hargeisa Group Hospital, Dr. Yassin is said to have made multiple staff changes with minimal consultation with others and has recently added 16 new qualified nurses to hospital staff.
Sources say that the newly recruited nurses were the source of an administrative dispute as they were not not from the available pool of volunteer workforce that should be prioritized for employment. According to sources, this has been resolved where subordinates have yielded to Dr. Yassin.
Many people who spoke to the condition of anonymity who are familiar with the state of Hargeisa Group Hospital were unanimous in their favorable view of Dr. Yassin despite the challenges the hospital faced including shortage of essential oxygen.
Asked if the recent loss of life due to lack of oxygen at Hargeisa Group Hospital might be the reason for Dr. Yassin’s abrupt termination, sources stated that the oxygen equipment has been operating past its operational lifespan and that the President was aware of the situation.
In trying to answer why the President would reappoint the same manager he has fired a little over a year ago, sources indicated that Dr. Askar being a respiratory specialist and his involvement with the COVID-19 committee might be the reason for why President Bihi has picked him to lead Hargeisa Group Hospital again.
Dr. Yassin is a founding member of Manhal hospital, one of the largest privately owned hospitals in Somaliland. It is unclear if this affected his performance in Hargeisa Group Hospital or was a factor in President Bihi’s decision to terminate him.
Efforts to reach Dr. Yassin and Askar were unsuccessful. Additionally, calls to the Minister of Health, the Director General and the Presidency were not answered.