Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), sometimes called Doctors Without Borders, is an international medical organisation. Despite being a non-governmental organisation (non-profit, independent of any government), It was founded in France and is best known for its projects in conflict zones and countries affected by diseases. In 2019, the group had over 35,000 volunteers, mostly local doctors, nurses, medical professionals, water and sanitation engineers, and administrators. Private donors provide about 90% of the funding, and donations provide the rest, giving MSF an annual budget of approximately €138 trillion.
EPIDEMICS AND REFUGEES IN YEMEN
Since first intervening in Yemen in 1986, MSF has offered paediatric, obstetric (care during pregnancy and childbirth), surgical, medico-nutritional care, as well as care for people affected by malaria. Since March 2015, the conflict in Yemen has worsened, as aerial bombardments, stray bullets, mines, and even snipers threaten civilians in the country daily. In 2020, the UN estimated that 24 million people in Yemen need humanitarian aid, out of a population of 27 million people.
Report of malnutrition in the governorate of Amran, Yemen (French)
MSF provides emergency medical assistance to the Yemeni population. Teams are present in both the north and the south of the country, despite being under two separate governments. In northern Yemen, MSF has been working in Hayden hospital and the Al-Salam referral hospital, providing many different types of healthcare in two health centres. In southern Yemen, MSF manages an emergency surgical hospital, offering trauma and physiotherapy care. MSF teams are carrying out emergency medical assistance operations on both sides of the front line. Many hospitals are closed or destroyed due to conflict. The teams provide trauma care for victims of violence or war in a dedicated centre. Travel around this city is dangerous for civilians and staff.
A family in a camp for internally displaced people in Sa’ada city, Yemen from
Mahmoud, who works for MSF as the lead health educator in Yemen said,
“We dream of free education, of free healthcare. We dream of medical care that is not for sale and is not traded with anything – that when a pregnant woman goes to hospital to give birth, she doesn’t have to pay for her own child to be born.”
MAJOR HEALTHCARE IN UGANDA
MSF has been active in many African countries for decades, sometimes being the only provider of health care, food, and water. The MSF increases media coverage and awareness of the situation in Africa. Treating and educating the public about HIV/AIDS is a major task, as Africa has the most cases of the disease.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to northern Uganda following violence in South Sudan. Uganda is currently the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa. MSF has set up relief programmes to help more than 1.5 million people who were displaced from their homes. These camps provide clean water, food, and sanitation. Mental health is also an important aspect of medical treatment for MSF teams since most people refuse to leave the camps for constant fear of being attacked. Although the number of new cases per year has been declining in Uganda, 7% of the population is HIV positive. At the Arura regional hospital, MSF facilitates rapid detection and early treatment, leading to improved outcomes for patients. They also run clinics in Kases providing basic and comprehensive healthcare to teenagers, including sexual and reproductive health services, and HIV and tuberculosis prevention, screening, and treatment.
A map showing regions in Uganda with MSF projects in 2019 from https://www.msf.org/uganda
In 2019 alone there were 44,400 outpatient consultations and 15,100 individual mental health consultations.
AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN HAITI
Haiti had already been largely affected by the 2010 earthquake and was suffering from a cholera epidemic. When Hurricane Matthew struck, more than 1.4 million people were affected by the destruction, according to Haitian authorities. Nearly 60% of the Haitian population lives below the poverty line, and 25% in extreme poverty.
A map showing cities, towns or villages in Haiti where MSF worked in 2019
Four MSF teams intervened by supporting the Port-à-Piment hospital, treating a total of 17,537 patients. The teams repaired 26 water points and provided more than 10 million litres of water by truck. MSF treated 478 cases of cholera. The teams provided building materials to 9,500 families and administered vaccines to 14,000 people.
Medical staff at MSF’s trauma hospital perform surgery on a patient
MEDECINS DU MONDE
Médecins du monde (MdM), or Doctors of the World, provides emergency and long-term medical care to the world's most vulnerable people. It also advocates to end health inequities. MdMs 1980 goals were "to go where others will not, to testify to the intolerable, and to volunteer". Doctors of the World USA was founded in 1990 but separated in 2006 and became HealthRight International. It was re-founded in 2011 and became the 15th chapter of the MdM network. Doctors of the World UK became a registered charity in 1998 and launched a UK-only programme in 2006. They opened a clinic in Bethnal Green (London), the clinic provides information and medical assistance to people who face barriers such as being undocumented migrants, asylum seekers, or homeless.
LIVING IN EMERGENCY: STORIES OF DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders is an award-winning documentary film that tells the story of 4 MSF volunteer doctors confronting the challenges of medical work of Liberia and the Congo. It was the first uncensored film about MSF and seeks to portray the real-life of the doctors as they confront working in extreme conditions with limited resources.
“Living in Emergency quickly takes on an emotional / dangerous / enraging quality that rivals only The Cove in its scope and complexity, and completely blows it out of the water with its topic and tone… By allowing filmmakers in for the first time, MSF has given director Mark Hopkins the opportunity to create both a calling card for the work that Doctors Without Borders does, and a cautionary tale about what it means to really help in a world that is teeming with outstretched hands.”
—LAist, November 29, 2009
Médecins Sans Frontiers has saved millions of lives and is key in the development of SDG 3. The teams are helping to facilitate the end of epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases, whilst successfully combatting hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable diseases. Although I have only shown three examples of MSF’s importance, they are active and doing good in almost 80 countries.