South Sudan: Saving lives amid chaos
In this podcast episode, we meet Scottish nurse Michael Shek, from Dumfries.
Michael has recently returned from his second Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) assignment in South Sudan, the world's youngest country in the midst of a civil war.
We hear Michael's story of his time in the northern town of Bentiu and he tells us about an incredible moment saving the life of a boy and his uncle at 10,000 feet.
MSF in South Sudan
In July 2011, South Sudan became the world’s newest country after gaining independence from Sudan. The peace deal that led to the split also ended Africa’s longest running civil war.
But in December 2013, South Sudan was plunged back into chaos as civil war erupted amid a power struggle between the president and his deputy.
The conflict has forced millions of people from their homes and left many without access to basic necessities, such as food, water and healthcare. Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) works in hospitals and clinics throughout South Sudan, where we run some of our biggest programmes worldwide.
As well as providing basic and specialised healthcare, our teams respond to emergencies and disease outbreaks affecting isolated communities, internally displaced people and refugees from Sudan.