Helen Ottens-Patterson, from the United Kingdom, is a nurse MSF medical coordinator in Maban county in Upper Nile state, South Sudan. MSF is the largest provider of emergency medical care for the more than 110,000 refugees that have fled fighting in Sudan’s Blue Nile state. In Batil refugee camp, one of four camps in the county, a recent survey carried out by MSF showed that the mortality rate for children under five years old was more than double the emergency threshold. Here, Helen shares her experience in providing care for this particularly vulnerable group of people. Voices from the Field - 22 Aug 2012

Niger

'We will set up as many tents as needed to treat children in need'

MSF is working in Madaoua, a small town in the centre of Niger, to prevent and treat child malnutrition. MSF supports several health centres in the district where outpatient treatment to children suffering from severe acute malnutrition is offered and works in the Madaoua hospital where malnourished children suffering from complications are admitted. Pascual Caballero, an MSF paediatrician working in Madaoua, talks about this experience. Voices from the Field - 13 Aug 2012

Uganda

'Working on an Ebola outbreak isn't just about reacting to physical challenges'

Henry Gray, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) logistics emergency coordinator for the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, describes his team’s preparations to care for fearful patients and their families, and to help prevent the disease from spreading. Voices from the Field - 3 Aug 2012

Uganda

Limiting the spread of the Ebola virus is a priority

Outbreaks of Ebola are rare, but for Dr Olimpia de la Rosa, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) emergency coordinator, dealing with the disease is nothing new. The last time Ebola hit Uganda, in 2007, she supported an MSF team fighting the outbreak. Five years later, MSF’s emergency response is again in full swing as teams help to combat the spread of the deadly virus. Voices from the Field - 3 Aug 2012

Central African Republic

A state of chronic medical emergency

After a decade of political violence, displacement and insecurity caused by clashes between rebel groups and government forces, as well as armed bandits, many thousands of people in Central African Republic are vulnerable to disease and have little access to health services. MSF international president, Dr Unni Karunakara, travelled to Bangui, the capital of CAR, to meet with President Francois Bozizé, Minister of Health Jean-Michel Mandaba and various international organisations to discuss how greater investment can be mobilised to improve the country’s failing healthcare system. Voices from the Field - 2 Aug 2012

South Sudan

'What we are facing is an extremely serious situation'

About 100,000 refugees fleeing the fighting in the Sudanese state of Blue Nile have taken refuge in Maban county in South Sudan. In the camp of Batil, home to 34,000 people, the number of children with malnutrition is increasing but humanitarian response remains inadequate. John Tzanos, MSF emergency coordinator in the region, provides an update. Voices from the Field - 26 Jul 2012

HIV/AIDS

An HIV teen patient

An interview with Mqondisi Mkandla, a HIV-positive teen patient. He is travelling to the United States to share his story at the International AIDS Conference. He shares his impressions before the trip in this interview. Voices from the Field - 23 Jul 2012

Chad

A malnutrition patient's story

A story about how a two-year-old patient survived three killer diseases, including malnutrition. Voices from the Field - 17 Jul 2012

Malnutrition

Malnutrition in Sahel

One million severely malnourished children will be treated this year in the countries of the Sahel*. MSF is scaling up its emergency response. Growing awareness of the extent of the crisis has led to improved care. Nonetheless, these recurrent nutritional crises in the Sahel will require a new approach to prevent children from suffering from malnutrition, year after year. MSF’s Susan Shepherd, pediatrician, and Stéphane Doyon, nutrition specialist, response to questions about this. Voices from the Field - 17 Jul 2012

South Sudan

Water remains the biggest concern

An MSF medical coordinator recounts how MSF teams have been moving alongside a large influx of around 35,000 refugees who crossed the border from Sudan’s Blue Nile state in May - June, supporting them with medical care, clean water and shelter on their journey to the Jamam camp. The teams face many challenges as they try to provide assistance in an inhospitable place. Voices from the Field - 3 Jul 2012

Four mothers posing in a corridor of the Hospital in Bili. All four of them are staying in the hospital with their child, that's suffering from a severe case of malaria. Since the beginning of the project in 2016, the pediatric ward already treated more than 4.000 cases of complicated/severe form of malaria.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Independent medical humanitarian assistance

We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff - most of them hired locally. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence and impartiality. We are a non-profit, self-governed, member-based organisation.

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'I have never seen anything like this before'