The lab began by procuring 8 sets of equipment to connect different regions in Somalia. The plan was to install 5 of these sets in youth centres with small clinics located in low-income urban areas, linking them to more specialised local hospitals. These areas are home to internally displaced persons who either cannot access or afford specialised second opinions or external medical consultations. After this experimental phase, the next step would be to expand the network to remote areas. However, we found that starting with a broad scope across three regions (north, east-central, and south-central) slowed down the process of generating results, particularly in such a complex country. Instead, we realized it would be more effective to focus our efforts and resources on one region at a time, expanding to others as more resources become available and as the country office takes over. Starting with a broad scope is typical for our country offices, but this approach often leads to resources being spread too thinly across small pilot projects, limiting both effectiveness and impact, while also extending the project timeline. - After partnering with the Islamic Development Bank, Indonesia Aid, East Africa University Hospital, and Ain Shams University Hospital as part of a larger project to establish ICUs and telemedicine facilities in the east-central and Puntland regions, we quickly realised an important lesson. Even a single telemedicine installation requires more than just expensive equipment; it depends heavily on a comprehensive network of partnerships and strong relationships with the government, medical facilities, local users, and the surrounding community where the telemedicine centre is located. - A key factor for the success of a telemedicine system in low-income communities and rural areas is the availability of skilled support staff. This is why expanding the network of specialist doctors needs to include more external expertise. To address this, we joined the previously mentioned IsDB project, and now our nursing staff at the youth centres are being trained to use specialised software for recording medical information, along with other essential skills required for telemedicine services. - Another important lesson involves expanding the network of doctors to include specialists from the Somali diaspora, particularly those who speak Somali. We discovered that language barriers are often the most significant obstacle to effective communication between doctors and patients, especially in online consultations. - In collaboration and learning sessions with the Libyan telemedicine startup Speeter, we gained valuable insights. We learned that expensive equipment is not necessary for a successful telemedicine facility. Instead, the focus should be on building networks between the supply and demand sides. Additionally, obtaining certification from the Ministry of Health for both the supply and demand ends is crucial.

The pilot is being taken up by East Africa University Hospital , IsDB and Ain Shams University Hospital as part of a big project, but that is in Puntland. 

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These data sources gave us an idea of user needs at the telemedicine service centres. To understand the hosting communities as well.