“The continuing violence in South Sudan is forcing ordinary people to live in inhumane conditions,” says William Robertson, MSF’s program manager for South Sudan. “People are being exposed to continual violence, increased displacement, fear of attacks, disease outbreaks and the risk of starvation. MSF is deeply concerned about the continued denial of access for aid organisations to conflict areas and other remote areas of South Sudan, which is leaving people without the humanitarian assistance they urgently need.” Press Release - 23 Jul 2015

Nigeria

“Our team is working all the time, because IDPs arrive every week.”

“None of the hospitals outside of Maiduguri and Biu are currently functioning. And most of them were completely destroyed with bombs. Those that weren’t destroyed were looted,” says Dr. Faisal Ga'al, MSF project coordinator in Maiduguri. “This is now the first stage of the crisis in Borno state, but the gaps will be huge when people start going back to their homes. They will need emergency support for some time. They are going back to zero – there is no means for people to make a living in the area.” Voices from the Field - 23 Jul 2015

MDRTB patient Seikholien, 45, is showing his daily dose of pills given to him by the MSF staff nurse.
Churchandpur, Manipur, India, 24 October 2012.

Access to medicines

TPP negotiators must fix the most damaging trade agreement ever for global health

“The U.S. has abandoned its previous commitments to protect health in its trade policy,” said Judit Rius, U.S. Manager and Policy Advisor for MSF’s Access Campaign. “The TPP is a precedent-setting blueprint for future trade deals that will deny countries their right to balance business interests with the public health needs of people – a right that is ingrained in international trade rules. This week might be the last chance negotiators have to mitigate some of the potential devastation of the TPP. We ask government negotiators to protect access to medicines and fix the most damaging provisions in the TPP.” Press Release - 23 Jul 2015

Ethiopia

A tale of a desperate midwife

“Had these mothers arrived in good time, we would have saved their lives and their children’s. I feel very sad to see women die from avoidable conditions just because of lack of awareness,” said Aisha Akello, MSF midwife. “It’s heart-breaking, and sometimes I stay up at night, just contemplating what has happened and pondering ways to find a solution to prevent these avoidable maternal deaths.” Voices from the Field - 23 Jul 2015

South Sudan

Patient tells of cholera recovery at new MSF Cholera Treatment Centre in Juba

“I’m happy because of the care and treatment I received here. I’m now feeling better, not like when I arrived. I would like to tell people suffering from cholera that there is an MSF centre in Munuki which provides care, support and food.” says Madeleine, one of the first patients admitted to MSF's newly built Cholera Treatment Centre (CTC) in Munuki, Juba. Voices from the Field - 22 Jul 2015

Nepal

Three months after the earthquakes, MSF reduces operations

Reducing its operations, MSF will nonetheless continue monitoring for disease outbreaks in several remaining displaced peoples camps, and conducting surgical and post-operative support in hospitals where needs have been identified. Project Update - 22 Jul 2015

HIV/AIDS

As HIV burden overwhelmingly shifts to ‘middle-income’ countries, access to affordable medicines is under threat

“If these policies are allowed to continue, middle-income countries face nothing short of a calamity that poses a major threat to the global HIV response and other health initiatives” says Leena Menghaney, head of MSF’s Access Campaign in South Asia. MSF warns that middle-income countries (MICs), which will be home to 70% of people living with HIV by 2020, face increasing threats to their ability to access affordable generic medicines. Press Release - 22 Jul 2015

HIV/AIDS

MSF warns successful global HIV response will require bigger emphasis on adherence

Not enough is being done to ensure people on antiretroviral treatment (ART) reach and maintain ‘undetectable’ levels of virus in their blood. “Our experience to date on one hand is positive, with people who adhere to treatment living longer and healthier lives, but on the other hand, we see major gaps in the continuum of care that painfully illustrate the shortcomings of the HIV response,” said Dr. Helen Bygrave, HIV Medical Advisor for MSF’s South Africa Medical Unit. Press Release - 21 Jul 2015

HIV/AIDS

MSF applauds data showing immediate treatment for all people with HIV saves lives and reduces transmission

“Now’s not the time to slow down the global HIV response in any way, but instead to hit the accelerator to save lives and stop this virus,” said Sharonann Lynch, HIV/TB Policy Advisor for MSF’s Access Campaign. “Any attempt to withdraw HIV support from countries at this point is beyond cynical.” Press Release - 20 Jul 2015

Portrait of Jeilan (28 years old and from Aleppo, Syria) with her 4 year old daughter in the Kara Tepe refugee camp on the island of Lesbos. She has already spent 5 days in the camp waiting for her papers to be issued by the police.

She says, ““I am here with my husband and my four-year-old daughter. We had to leave Aleppo because of the bombing. We ran for our lives. We did not bring anything with us, we left everything behind.

We came from Turkey by sea, at night. It was very dangerous, the wind was strong and the sea was rough. My children would not stop crying. It was a small boat, about 4 metres long. There were 50 people inside, not protected. It took one and a half hours to reach the beach where we landed.

When we arrived at the beach, we found we had to walk 5.5 km with our children. There was no one to take us and the cars would not stop. First we went to the coastguard to get registered. We gave our names and they told us we would get our papers in a day or two, and then we could leave for Athens.

There are four other families with us – 10 or 11 people altogether. We have been here for five days, and are still waiting for our papers.

When we went to the police station yesterday to collect the papers, they told us that they did not have our names. They had made a mistake. The police officer shouted at me, “Go, just go”. He gave no explanation, and did not say when we should come back.

We are staying in a dirty tent. There are no mattresses to sleep on, just cardboard boxes. There are no blankets, nothing, just dirt.

We don’t even want to go near the toilets. The water is not clean, we cannot wash.

The food is not good. For breakfast, we have one piece of bread shared between three people.

One woman arrived today with her two small babies. Their clothes are all wet, but they don’t have any more clothes. She has been asking where she can find some milk for her baby, but nobody gives her milk, so she will have to buy it from somewhere.

We don’t see any help provided for us here in Greece. We don’t want to stay here.

I can’t believe that I am living in such conditions with my family. I used to be a teacher and my husband was an accountant. Look at us now! This is inhumane.”

Greece

Testimonies from migrants and asylum seekers in Lesbos

Thousands of migrants and asylum seekers are currently stranded in precarious conditions across several Greek islands, despite repeated calls since December 2014 by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to Greek authorities and the EU to address the lack of reception capacity. Voices from the Field - 20 Jul 2015

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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MSF calls for urgent humanitarian access to Upper Nile state

“Our team is working all the time, because IDPs arrive every week.”

TPP negotiators must fix the most damaging trade agreement ever for global health

A tale of a desperate midwife

Patient tells of cholera recovery at new MSF Cholera Treatment Centre in Juba

Three months after the earthquakes, MSF reduces operations

As HIV burden overwhelmingly shifts to ‘middle-income’ countries, access to affordable medicines is under threat

MSF warns successful global HIV response will require bigger emphasis on adherence

MSF applauds data showing immediate treatment for all people with HIV saves lives and reduces transmission

Testimonies from migrants and asylum seekers in Lesbos

Independent medical humanitarian assistance

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79%

16%

16%

5%

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