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search and rescue

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search and rescue
Luca - MSF doctor
Luca
Doctor
“He just kept running, despite the shrapnel wound bleeding”
On board the Ocean Viking search and rescue ship, Italian doctor Luca treats a young patient with a traumatic story of how we came to be on a sinking boat in the Central Mediterranean...
29 Aug 2019 / 5 minute read
Stefanie
Medical team leader
"We are humbled by their courage": Treating psychological trauma at sea
When people are pulled to safety by search and rescue teams in the Mediterranean, many carry invisible psychological wounds from the trauma that forced them to flee Libya. Stefanie, who leads MSF's medical team on board the Ocean Viking, shares their story...
27 Aug 2019 / 5 minute read
MSF logo
Blogs Team
Four moving blogs from Doctors Without Borders - July 2019
From an emergency room in Yemen to the world's largest refugee camp in Bangladesh, here are four moving blogs from our work around the world this month...
31 Jul 2019 / 3 minute read
MSF logo
Blogs Team
Mediterranean search and rescue: Six powerful blog posts about saving lives at sea
Seven months after EU governments forced us to halt search and rescue in the Central Mediterranean, MSF is heading back to sea to save lives on the world's deadliest migration route. As our new ship, Ocean Viking, prepares to launch, read these six powerful stories from the staff who've witnessed this devastating humanitarian crisis first-hand.
30 Jul 2019 / 4 minute read
A sunset on the Mediterranean Sea
Courtney Bercan
Nurse
Memorial
Courtney Bercan, a nurse from Vancouver, Canada, worked with Médecins sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on a search-and-rescue boat in the Mediterranean in 2016, the Dignity I. In December 2018, MSF was forced to stop operations of its last rescue boat in the Mediterranean, the Aquarius, due to political pressure from several European countries. This news triggered harrowing memories for Courtney.
19 Dec 2018 / 7 minute read
Aoife Ní Mhurchú MSF
Aoife Ní Mhurchú
Nurse
Search and rescue vlog 11: Arrived
"They never have to worry about being lost at sea again"
15 Sep 2018 / 1 minute read
Aoife Ní Mhurchú MSF
Aoife Ní Mhurchú
Nurse
Search and rescue vlog 10: A celebration
"We are very happy that we have a port of safety."
12 Sep 2018 / 1 minute read
Aoife Ní Mhurchú MSF
Aoife Ní Mhurchú
Nurse
Search and rescue vlog 9: "The whole world knows before us"
"It just goes to show the disrespect shown to these people and how dehumanised the situation is."
10 Sep 2018 / 1 minute read
Aoife Ní Mhurchú MSF
Aoife Ní Mhurchú
Nurse
Search and rescue vlog 8: "Solidarity at sea is at stake"
"A rescue is only complete when people are disembarked in a port of safety." 
04 Sep 2018 / 1 minute read
Aoife Ní Mhurchú MSF
Aoife Ní Mhurchú
Nurse
Search and rescue vlog 7: The need for a port
"These people deserve to be disembarked in a port of safety."
04 Sep 2018 / 1 minute read
Aoife Ní Mhurchú MSF
Aoife Ní Mhurchú
Nurse
Search and rescue vlog 6: A 12-hour operation
"The boat eventually ran out of fuel at the exact point between the Maltese and Italian waters. The likelihood of that happening is very, very slim, but that's exactly what happened."
23 Aug 2018 / 1 minute read
Aoife Ní Mhurchú MSF
Aoife Ní Mhurchú
Nurse
Search and rescue vlog 5: “We've had an unusual day"
"Our main concerns were they had no lifejackets, no food, no water."
23 Aug 2018 / 1 minute read

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Florian Lems/MSF
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