How we work

We are a global humanitarian movement of 51,000 staff responding to healthcare crises in more than 70 countries. Discover how we work and learn more about the specialist support we provide from the UK.

Safe Birth in Aweil

Our life-saving interventions are both varied and vital, responding to war and disease outbreaks, to shock catastrophes and chronic healthcare crises.

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is world-renowned for working in conflicts, epidemics and natural disasters – the humanitarian events that hit the headlines.

However, we also run long-term projects – some of which stretch over decades – helping people caught up in complex and under-reported healthcare emergencies.

MSF staff carry a patient as waves of war-wounded Sudanese refugees cross the border into Chad (June 2023)

Emergency medical care

MSF teams are often among the first humanitarian responders on the ground, providing emergency care and coordinating life-saving logistics

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An MSF paediatrician speaks with a patient during morning rounds at a maternity hospital in Sierra Leone

Long-term health crises

Most humanitarian crises are complicated, under-reported and build over years, even decades.

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In the Philippines, MSF logisticians and daily workers unload a truck with vital supplies in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

Emergency logistics

Behind everything we do on the frontline is an efficient logistics system

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An MSF team member raising awareness of tuberculosis outside the MSF-supported Bangassou Regional Hospital in the Central African Republic

Advocacy

Since 1971, MSF has been speaking out to help save lives

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Patient Muhindo, MSF nurse, prepares to dispense the prescribed treatments to non-Ebola patients received in consultation by MSF staff in the village of Ikenge, in support of the teams at the local health centre, after a triage that allowed to rule out any possible suspected Ebola cases. Equateur Province, DRC, 22 October 2020.

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Patient Muhindo, infirmier MSF, se prépare à délivrer les traitements prescrits aux patients non-Ebola reçus en consultation par les équipes MSF, au village d’Ikenge, en support des équipes du centre de santé local, après un triage permettant d’écarter d’éventuels cas suspects Ebola. Equateur, RDC, 22 octobre 2020.

Medical support

The Manson Unit are UK-based specialists who drive improvements in health practice and policy

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GREECE. Lesbos.September 15, 2020. After the fires that destroyed Moria camp on September 9-10, thousands of people were forced to sleep in the streets, with no access to toilets, water, food or medical care. In order to stay close to our patients and respond to their increasing need for healthcare, MSF set up a field clinic near the area where thousands of people were sleeping rough, while also continuing to treat patients at our clinic opposite Moria camp.
Jayzah is a 67 year-old woman from Damascus, Syria. Her husband was killed after a bomb was dropped on the refugee camp where they were taking shelter. The family fled to Idlib to seek safety, however after the area erupted in violence they fled once more. Seeking a better life, they travelled to Turkey, however on the journey, Jayzah’s nephew was shot dead by border police. The rest of the family finally arrived in Lesbos on Jan 1, 2020. After fleeing from the fire that destroyed Moria camp, the family had no choice but to sleep on the streets without shelter for over a week. Despite the fact that Jayzah has diabetes and multiple war wounds, and is clearly at high-risk to COVID-19, she remains on the island. Jayzah, like thousands of others, must be moved to safe accommodation in other EU states immediately.

Analysis and representation

Our specialist HAARP Unit supports our medical teams on the frontline

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Aerial view of Buzi and the devastation caused by Cylone Idai.

Climate emergency

MSF is responding to the public health challenges that threaten to increase without action

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