Dr. Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed (widely known as Dr. Jalaaludiin) is a Somali physician, public health specialist, and global health leader with 15+ years of experience in health systems strengthening, hospital transformation, emergency response, and evidence-informed health financing reform in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Based in Mogadishu, Somalia, he is the Director General of Somalia’s National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), where his priority agenda is to establish a credible, efficient, and transparent insurance institution that advances strategic purchasing, improves provider accountability, and protects households from catastrophic health spending—core pillars for accelerating Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Dr. Ahmed has served as Director General and Chief Executive Officer of DeMartino National Public Hospital, a 200-bed tertiary and teaching facility, where he has led major institutional reforms, strengthened emergency and maternal services, improved infection prevention systems, and ensured continuity of essential care during prolonged crises. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he managed both facility-level and national responses, serving as National Incident Manager and coordinating multi-agency surveillance, response, and service delivery mechanisms. Under his leadership, more than 32,000 COVID-19 cases were managed while maintaining core hospital operations.
His career includes senior leadership roles within Somalia’s Federal Ministry of Health, including Director of Medical Services, Deputy Director General, and Director of Human Resources for Health. In these positions, he oversaw nationwide clinical services, regulatory frameworks, pharmaceutical governance, workforce development, and quality improvement initiatives. He has been recognized for strengthening controlled substances regulation and contributing to national policy alignment with international standards.
In parallel with his executive work, Dr. Ahmed is deeply engaged in academic and professional development. He serves as Coordinator and Senior Lecturer in postgraduate training, teaching epidemiology, research methodology, and tropical medicine, while mentoring early-career researchers and supporting international academic partnerships. His research portfolio includes more than thirty-five peer-reviewed publications and over one hundred twenty-five citations, focusing on health financing, economic evaluation, One Health systems, pandemic preparedness, hospital quality, and mental health in post-conflict contexts.
Dr. Ahmed holds advanced qualifications in medicine, public health, and health management, including a PhD in Healthcare Economics, an MPH, and an MSc in Health Management. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and the Federation of Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Associations. He has represented Somalia in regional and global forums, including as a distinguished speaker at the World Hospital Congress.
Through his leadership, research, and advocacy, Dr. Ahmed contributes to strengthening health systems performance, promoting value-based care, and improving population health outcomes in resource-constrained environments.
Dr. Ahmed’s work aligns closely with ISPOR’s mission at the intersection of health economics, outcomes research, and policy translation. His professional interests include economic evaluation in fragile settings, purchasing and provider payment reform, health system performance measurement, quality improvement, and the practical design of financing mechanisms that increase access while safeguarding equity. He brings substantial experience translating evidence into actionable protocols, standard operating procedures, and implementation strategies that are feasible under crisis constraints and resource limitations.
Academically, Dr. Ahmed has 35+ peer-reviewed publications and 125+ citations across health financing and policy reform, governance and quality, pandemic preparedness, One Health, and mental health in post-conflict societies. He has presented Somalia’s health system experience internationally, including as a distinguished speaker at the World Hospital Congress (Dubai, 2022).
He holds a PhD in Healthcare Economics (completed June 2025), and is a Fellow of leading professional bodies (FRSPH, FRSTMH/RSTMH, FESMA). Beyond formal roles, he is a living kidney donor and an advocate for organ donation, kidney health, and equitable access to lifesaving care.