The Somali government has had to deal with serious health problems in the refugee population, especially malnutrition, tubercolosis, malaria, schistosomiasis, and parasitic diseases, arising from changes in environment and living patterns, the process of migration itself, lack of food, and the settlement in special camps. Emergency health plans have therefore been formulated by the Ministry of Health in concert with international agencies, foreign governments, and private aid organizations. An original contribution has been made by the Department of Community Health at the Faculty of Medicine at the National University, in the field of health education and health care. A number of problems were encountered, originating from varying philosophies of intervention and from the particular cultural characteristics of the population. The authors compare their experience with the period of mass resettlement during and after the 1974-75 drought in order to arrive at recommendations for the planning of health services in similar situations.