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Building a hospital on a rubbish dump

Edna Adan Ismail is a healthcare pioneer in Somaliland. At the age of 82 she still works 14 hour days in the hospital she fought to build

Edna Adan Ismail is a healthcare pioneer in Somaliland. She was married to the former Prime Minister, but her first love was nursing and midwifery and she refused to give it up. For many years Edna fought to build a hospital in her home city of Hargeisa, and through sheer force of will and a lot of donated cement, finally managed it in 2002. She's now in her 80s, but still works 14 hour days teaching doctors and delivering babies.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Harry Graham

Picture: Edna Adan Ismail with trainee medical staff
Credit: Courtesy of Harper Collins

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14 minutes

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