The long series of Israeli military incursions into the town of Beit Hanoun in the Gaza strip continues and intensifies. The latest has given rise to violent offensive against civilians and their property. MSF, present in Gaza since the beginning of the Al Aqsa Intifada, deplores the wanton destruction of people's lives and is alarmed at the medical, psychological and material consequences on local families affected by this disaster. Press Release - 23 May 2003

With approximately 5.3 million people infected with HIV, South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS of any country. In November 2003, the South African government approved a new national HIV/AIDS plan that added life-extending antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to the existing protocol and set a goal of treating 600,000 people with ARVs by 2008.
MSF operates a rural HIV/AIDS program in Lusikisiki, in the Eastern Cape province, one of the country's poorest areas. The program has tested more than 600 people for the virus each month and has demonstrated an HIV-positive prevalence of 30 to 40 percent. MSF manages opportunistic infections in 11 rural clinics and in the district hospital and began offering ARV treatment in the clinics in November 2003.

Access to medicines

MSF puts drug patents under the spotlight

"Developing countries should not hesitate to check and challenge the validity of patents," says Ellen 't Hoen of MSF. "This is already beginning to happen in some countries, such as Kenya and Thailand." Press Release - 22 May 2003

Democratic Republic of Congo

MSF working again in Bunia

MSF is worried about the situation in Ituri Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo and demands access to vulnerable civilians. Press Release - 21 May 2003

Ethiopia

An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 children suffer fromacute malnutrition in Damot Gale district

250 MSF staff are responding to this emergency situation where MSF has opened two Therapeutic Feeding Centres in Boditi and Buge for children in need of treatment. MSF is intending to extend its capacities in the near future with additional programmes including high-energy rations and feeding centres. Press Release - 14 May 2003

War and conflict

MSF sends medical teams to help civilians wounded in Chechnya bomb blasts

The latest explosions in Znamenskoe and Gudermes region, resulting in a high number of casualties and wounded, show once again that the situaton in Chechnya is far from normal contrary to declarations made by the authorities. Press Release - 14 May 2003

Ethiopia

MSF alarmed at dramatic situation at Ethiopia resettlement site

Inadequate planning of resettlement leads to unnecessary suffering. Press Release - 12 May 2003

Aki Yurt tent camp, Ingushetia
Marina, field coordinator for MSF-B, talking with displaced women from Chechnya.

Refugees, IDPs and people on the move

Left without a choice: Chechens forced to return to Chechnya

As the tent camps are about to be closed in Ingushetia, an MSF survey shows that more than 98% of Chechen displaced families living in the camps do not want to go back to Chechnya Press Release - 6 May 2003

Iraq

Posing threat to health of Iraqi people

Posing threat to health of Iraqi people Press Release - 2 May 2003

Burundi

Burundian health authorities block medical supplies

MSF forced to suspend operations despite enormous needs in Makamba Press Release - 29 Apr 2003

Kenya

MSF welcomes announcement to increase AIDS treatment

Principal actors urged to set aside reservations about treatment with antiretroviral medicines in Africa, and to act now to increase such treatment. Press Release - 25 Apr 2003

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)

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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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Palestinian Territories - Beit Hanoun: Attacks against civilians and their property