Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) helps victims of war, famine, disease and natural or man-made disaster by providing emergency medical aid. MSF is the world’s leading independent humanitarian organisation for medical aid and provides help to patients without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation. At all times, MSF observes neutrality and impartiality in the name of universal medical ethics.
The creation of MSF was due to the joint effort of two groups of frustrated doctors who were working in international relief. The first group was working in Biafra, a region in Nigeria torn apart by civil war, where it had operated from 1968 to 1970 on behalf of the French Red Cross. The second group had been volunteering to treat the victims of a tidal wave in eastern Pakistan (now Bangladesh). In their relief activities, both of these groups discovered the shortcomings of international aid. For them, international aid provided too little medical assistance and was too compliant with international law to be truly effective in crisis situations. And so, on December 20 1971 MSF was born – this core group of doctors intended to change the way medical aid was delivered and to cross borders in times of crisis.
MSF has been in Australia for 12 years, since 1994.
In more than 70 countries, MSF delivers emergency medical aid to people affected by:
- armed conflict
- natural or man-made disasters
- epidemics
- diseases
- exclusion from health care
In emergencies and their aftermath, MSF provides health care, rehabilitates and runs hospitals and clinics, performs surgery, battles epidemics, carries out vaccination campaigns, operates feeding centres for malnourished children, and offers mental health care. When needed, MSF also constructs wells and dispenses clean drinking water, and provides shelter materials like blankets and plastic sheeting.
We’re also focused on longer-term treatments so MSF treats patients with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, sleeping sickness and HIV/AIDS. Sometimes, we also provide medical and psychological care to marginalised groups such as street children.
We’re working all over the world but some of our major operations are:
Sudan: Despite a peace agreement in 2005 between the Sudanese government and southern rebels, conflict continues in Sudan. Disease there is rife and MSF is treating illnesses such as malaria, tuberculosis, sleeping sickness and kala azar (a parasitic disease, Hindi for 'black fever'). MSF also treats malnutrition, wounded victims of the fighting and refugees.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Another conflict, which despite peace agreements and recent elections, continues to harm the population. The people live in a state of extreme deprivation and thousands are dying every day from treatable diseases such as malaria and measles. Violence is ongoing and sexual violence tragically forms part of the daily reality for thousands of women and children, and some men. MSF teams are based in several parts of the country, constantly responding where possible to the crises.
Indonesia: MSF responded quickly to the enormous tsunami that battered parts of Indonesia’s coast on Boxing Day 2004. We’re also in Indonesia to provide medical aid during periods of conflicts, epidemics and other humanitarian disasters. We’re still helping out the victims of the Yogyakarta earthquake that hit on 26 May this year and the recent tsunami of 17 July.
Russian Federation: MSF is providing aid to victims of the ongoing conflict between Chechen rebels and Russian Federation forces. We’re providing mental health care, as well as carrying out gynaecological/obstetric and paediatric consultations. One of our big projects is helping out Moscow’s street children, which we’ve been doing now since 2003.
