STAFF BLOGS

MSF staff in Guiuan unloads supplies from a helicopter coming from Cebu.

Fieldset

STAFF BLOGS

In medical emergencies around the world Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) staff are working together to provide life-saving care.

From doctors to nurses, administrators to mechanics, everyone has a role to play and a story to tell.

ABOUT STAFF BLOGS >

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Patients at MSF's L’Arche de Kigobe trauma centre in Bujumbura, Burundi

Kariantti Kallio

Anaesthetics

"Nothing short of a miracle": The trauma team that refused to give up

It's night-time and anaesthetist Kariantti has been called into MSF's trauma hospital in Bujumbura, Burundi, to help treat a badly injured man who is bleeding heavily. The team must act fast to find the source, stop the bleeding and save the patient's life...

25 Mar 2020 / 4 minute read

About 8,000 people live in the overcrowded Vathy refugee camp on the island of Samos, which was built to accommodate only 650 people

Blogs Team

Five eye-opening blogs from Doctors Without Borders - March 2020

COVID-19, Ebola, detention in Libya, the Greek refugee crisis - our teams are responding to humanitarian healthcare crises across the world. Hear from our staff working both on the ground and behind the scenes in this collection of eye-opening blogs.

25 Mar 2020 / 6 minute read

Neglected people will be the worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic

Jonathan Whittall

Advisor

COVID-19: What the coronavirus pandemic can teach us about universal healthcare

As COVID-19 spreads to countries around the world, people everywhere are taking steps to protect themselves and their families. But for some, this isn't an option. MSF Director of Analysis Jonathan highlights the health inequalities exposed by the global pandemic and the lessons we must take away from it.

20 Mar 2020 / 4 minute read

Michaël Neuman

Advisor

Libya: The forgotten ones

In February, MSF migration advisor Michaël Neuman spent 10 days with our teams working in detention centres in Libya. In this frank and insightful account, Michaël reveals the abuses and challenges migrants and refugees endure in their search for safety, and how the system is failing them.

18 Mar 2020 / 13 minute read

Vathy refugee camp on Samos was built for 650 people but currently hosts about 8,000

Valeska Cordier

Communications

Greek refugee crisis: "How could this ever become normality?"

The horrific conditions in refugee camps on the Greek islands have made headlines around the world. But, nothing can prepare MSF communications specialist Valeska for what she finds when she visits two camps on Samos and Lesvos...

11 Mar 2020 / 8 minute read

“We’re being attacked in the Ebola treatment centre": Reflections after the fire

In the wake of an armed attack on an Ebola treatment centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo, aid workers were pushed to radically rethink their approach to the disease. MSF emergency coordinator Trish Newport shares the lessons learned – and their importance for future responses.

09 Mar 2020 / 6 minute read

Shuvai Munyaradzi became pregnant with her third child after being treated for pre-cancerous lesions on her cervix by MSF in Gutu, Zimbabwe.

Séverine Caluwaerts

Obstetrician / Gynaecologist

"We give more than just hope": How MSF is tackling an unseen cancer

Cervical cancer kills hundreds of thousands of women each year, despite being highly preventable and curable. On International Women's Day, Belgian obstetrician and gynaecologist Séverine shares her experience treating women with cervical cancer – and why we must speak out about this deadly but silent killer.

03 Mar 2020 / 6 minute read

Survivors pile into the rigid-hulled inflatable boat during a rescue by Ocean Viking

Catherine Flanigan

Nurse

"The people have no lifejackets, the black sea is heaving"

On board the Ocean Viking search and rescue ship, MSF nurse Catherine and the team are fighting rough seas and fast-moving events to save people from a small boat caught in the chaos. Part two of two

28 Feb 2020 / 9 minute read

Refugee

Catherine Flanigan

Nurse

"So much has happened in the first short months of her life"

When MSF and partner SOS MEDITERRANEE were forced to end Mediterranean search and rescue operations in late 2018, MSF nurse Catherine thought her days at sea were over. Soon, she would be back aboard a new ship - the Ocean Viking - helping save the lives of people fleeing Libya. Part one of two

28 Feb 2020 / 8 minute read

Refugee

Courtney Bercan

Nurse

"If we don't go, who will?": The Ebola workers risking their lives to save patients

When an Ebola treatment centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo is attacked and all but deserted, MSF nurse Courtney must decide whether she will go to the conflict zone to keep it open. She reveals the impact violence has on patients and staff, and introduces us to the inspiring Ebola workers who refuse to leave.

27 Feb 2020 / 14 minute read

Mohammed, 2, has a brain disorder but does not get the care he needs because he's trapped in Moria camp

Anna Pantelia

Communications

“I cannot even look our patients in the eyes anymore”

Having fled conflict and instability, thousands of asylum seekers are now detained in dangerous conditions at Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. Communications specialist Anna meets three mothers, trapped in Moria and struggling to care for children with chronic health conditions.

27 Feb 2020 / 8 minute read

Greece

Refugee

Karla Claus (top right) with the Maban logistics team in South Sudan

Blogs Team

Five inspiring blogs from Doctors Without Borders - February 2020

From a nurse on a search and rescue ship in the Central Mediterranean, to a team of logistics specialists ensuring the smooth running of operations in South Sudan, here are five inspiring eye-witness stories from our staff around the world.

26 Feb 2020 / 5 minute read