University of Health Sciences Somalia (UOHS)

University of Health Sciences (UOHS; Somali: Jaamacadda Culuumta Caafimaadka) is a private non-profit higher-education institution in Bosaso, Bari, Puntland, Somalia. It provides education and training in health sciences and has a Faculty of Medicine listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools.

History

The university's institutional history states that the University of Health Sciences was established in September 2000 as a health institute. It was promoted to college status in 2003 and obtained university status in 2012. The institution attributes its establishment to the shortage of medical professionals in Somalia following the country's civil war.

The university identifies Prof. Abdirisak Hussein Hassan as its founding father. According to the university, he established a nursing institute in response to shortages of trained medical personnel in Somalia.

A 2013 report by the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies listed the University of Health Sciences among the higher-education institutions surveyed in Puntland. The report recorded the institution as having been established in 2006 and, at the time of the survey, listed five faculties and 947 students.

Administration

The university's current rector is Dr. Najma Abdirisak H. Hassan. The university's rector page identifies her as rector, and the Somali Research and Education Network lists her as a member of its board of directors in the same capacity.

Academics

The university's academic structure includes eight health sciences faculties: the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Clinical Midwifery, Faculty of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Faculty of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Public Health, Faculty of Medical Laboratory, and Faculty of Radiological Sciences and Medical Imaging.

The Faculty of Medicine provides a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme. The World Directory of Medical Schools records the school as a private, currently operational medical school in Bosaso. It lists 2014 as the year instruction began, a five-year curriculum, and admission of both men and women.

The university also offers undergraduate programmes in clinical nursing, clinical midwifery, food sciences and nutrition, public health, medical laboratory sciences, clinical pharmacy, and radiological sciences and medical imaging.

The radiological sciences and medical imaging programme was inaugurated in 2021, according to the university, which describes it as an undergraduate programme in the field.

Research

Researchers affiliated with the University of Health Sciences have participated in published studies concerning health and higher education in Somalia.

A 2022 study published in BioMed Research International examined hepatitis B vaccination status and related factors among healthcare workers in Bosaso, Puntland. The study included researchers affiliated with the University of Health Sciences.

A 2023 study published in BMC Public Health investigated hepatitis B vaccination coverage among medical students in Bosaso. The study used a sample drawn from four universities in the city and included a researcher affiliated with the Faculty of Public Health at the University of Health Sciences.

In 2025, a study published in PLOS ONE examined tuberculosis treatment outcomes at Bosaso TB Hospital using records from January 2018 to December 2022. One of the authors was affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Health Sciences.

A 2026 article in Cogent Education examined challenges affecting research and academic publishing in higher education institutions in Puntland. The author, Saaid Said Jama, is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Health Sciences.

A 2026 study published in Critical Public Health examined metabolic risk patterns and the association between anthropometric indices and elevated random blood glucose among adults in urban Somalia. The cross-sectional study contributes to the growing body of research on non-communicable disease risk factors and metabolic health in Somalia. The study was published in volume 36 of Critical Public Health in 2026.

Affiliations and partnerships

The University of Health Sciences is a member institution of the Association of Puntland Universities (APU). The association identifies UOHS as one of its member universities and describes the network as a cooperative body for higher education institutions in Puntland.

The university has participated in activities of the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA). In 2024, the university reported that it joined IUCEA and that a university representative participated in the 13th East African Higher Education Quality Assurance Forum in Nairobi, Kenya.

The university's membership and affiliation listings are also included in higher-education directories such as uniRank, which lists associations including the Association of African Universities, Association of Somali Universities, Somali Research and Educational Network, Tuning Africa, and the Association of Arab Private Universities.

Campus

The university's main campus is located in Bosaso, Puntland, on Airport Road near Bosaso Public Secondary School.

The same location is given independently by the World Directory of Medical Schools, which lists Airport Street, Bosaso, Puntland, Somalia as the main address of the Faculty of Medicine.

A 2024 Bosaso City Strategy published by the United Nations Development Programme identified six universities operating in Bosaso and named the University of Health Sciences among the city's larger universities, alongside the University of Bosaso and East Africa University.

Institutional profile

uniRank describes the University of Health Sciences as a private, non-profit, coeducational higher-education institution established in 2000 and recognised by Somalia's Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education. Its profile gives an estimated student-enrolment range of 2,000–2,999 and an academic-staff range of 50–99.

The same directory lists the institution's motto as Towards a Better Health and its colours as green and orange.

External links

• Official website
• University of Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine at the World Directory of Medical Schools
• University of Health Sciences at uniRank
• University of Health Sciences at AllUniversity