Emergency response

Fieldset

Emergency response

In conflict zones, natural disasters and disease outbreaks, Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams respond fast in an emergency.

From conducting a complicated war surgery to project managing a vaccination campaign for 40,000 children, our staff has a wealth of experience and practical skills to provide health care, quickly, to those who need it most.

To ensure they have the equipment they need to start treating patients as quickly as possible, MSF has developed pre-packaged disaster kits. These include an obstetrics kit, a complete surgical theatre, and an inflatable hospital, all ready to go when an emergency hits. In addition to emergency response, MSF also runs longer term projects to provide day-to-day health care to communities who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it.

Michal Pospíšil

Nurse

Five myths about working for MSF

Michal Pospíšil is a Czech nurse who recently returned from his first assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF), working in Sudan. In his blog, he challenges some of the most popular myths about working for MSF.

18 Sep 2018 / 6 minute read

Fadi and Annke at the Khan Younis Clinic

Annke Yssel

Nurse

Nursing in Gaza: “He was hit by a single bullet, passing through both his lower legs”

South African nurse Annke is currently on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) near the border between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Here, she shares the story of a patient recovering from a gunshot injury he received during the “March of Return” demonstrations in May.

01 Aug 2018 / 3 minute read

Alexander Nyman

Doctor

Spear trauma in South Sudan

"Alex, there is an emergency in New Fangak. Stab wound in the back."

06 Jun 2018 / 4 minute read

Alexander Nyman

Doctor

Snakebite in South Sudan: ”There’s only one way to save the girl’s life..."

Swedish ER doctor Alexander Nyman recently returned from an assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Old Fangak, a remote town in South Sudan. He blogs about a difficult day when his team treated a girl with a severe snakebite...

21 May 2018 / 3 minute read

Vera Schmitz

Nurse

Starting from scratch: an emergency response in the Democratic Republic of Congo

When thousands of people flee violence at home, they can find themselves without access to food, water or medical help. Vera Schmitz is an Austrian nurse who has just returned from Gbadolite, Democratic Republic of Congo, where she was part of an MSF / Doctors Without Borders emergency project to help a community with very limited resources...

10 Jan 2018 / 6 minute read

Ludvig Bolinder

Doctor

A doctor in DRC: The finish line

Ludvig has been sharing his diary from his recent posting with the PUC - the Pool d'Urgence Congo. The PUC are Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders' emergency team in Congo, moving fast to tackle crisis situations like disease outbreaks. This is Ludvig's final post...

19 Nov 2017 / 3 minute read

Ludvig Bolinder

Doctor

A doctor in DRC: Bolomba, soon a memory

Ludvig has recently completed an assignment as part of MSF's emergency team in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He's shared his diary with us. Today's entry was written just a few days before he left the remote village of Bolomba, where he and the team had been fighting a dangerous outbreak of measles...

09 Nov 2017 / 3 minute read

Ludvig Bolinder

Doctor

A doctor in DRC: Arrival in Bolomba

Ludvig has recently completed an assignment as part of MSF's emergency team in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He's shared his diary with us. After a two-day journey by boat, he and the team have reached a region experiencing a dangerous measles outbreak...

27 Sep 2017 / 3 minute read

Ludvig Bolinder

Doctor

A doctor in DRC: Along the Ikelemb river

Ludvig has recently returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this post, the emergency team are heading up river to reach an isolated community with an outbreak of measles, a highly contagious virus that can be deadly, especially for young children...

22 Sep 2017 / 2 minute read

Ludvig Bolinder

Doctor

A doctor in DRC: "Preparations are in full swing"

In his last post, Ludvig learned about an outbreak of measles in the north of the DRC. Measles is highly infectious and particularly dangerous to young children. While road infrastructure in the country is almost non-existent, there is another way to ensure patients get the treatment they need...

20 Sep 2017 / 2 minute read