title: Paediatric in-patient care in a conflict-torn region of Somalia: are hospital outcomes of acceptable quality?
abstract: METHODS
  A district hospital in conflict-torn Somalia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report on in-patient paediatric morbidity, case fatality and exit outcomes as indicators of quality of care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 6211 children, lower respiratory tract infections (48%) and severe acute malnutrition (16%) were the leading reasons for admission. The highest case-fatality rate was for meningitis (20%). Adverse outcomes occurred in 378 (6%) children, including 205 (3.3%) deaths; 173 (2.8%) absconded.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hospital exit outcomes are good even in conflict-torn Somalia, and should boost efforts to ensure that such populations are not left out in the quest to achieve universal health coverage.
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières, Belgium, Somalia Mission Coordination, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Ngoy
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières, Brussels Operational Centre-Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zachariah
authors.affiliation: Centre for Internal Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Hinderaker
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières, Brussels Operational Centre-Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khogali
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières, Brussels Operational Centre-Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manzi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Medi-cine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Griensven
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières, Belgium, Somalia Mission Coordination, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ayada
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières, Brussels Operational Centre, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Jemmy
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières, Belgium, Somalia Mission Coordination, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maalim
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières, Belgium, Somalia Mission Coordination, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Amin
keywords: Somalia; conflict; hospital outcomes; operational research; paediatrics