[Vlog 1 - EN] MSF field workers responding to COVID-19: Caring for the most vulnerable amid a pandemic

MSF field workers in different parts of the world, and some volunteering and working locally in their own countries/home societies, are working overtime to combat the COVID-19 crisis — especially in the most critical humanitarian contexts.

Meet MSF field workers who continue to provide services to the vulnerable. Most of them are coordinating with local health authorities in conducting a wide range of activities, including training staff on infection prevention and control for health facilities and triaging patients. In other countries, they are either building health structures dedicated for patients with COVID-19 or converting existing facilities as isolation wards. In the safest way possible, we inform our communities how physical distancing and frequent handwashing can go a long way during an outbreak.

This set of videos include messages of solidarity to fellow health care workers all over the world.

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[Vlog 1 - INT] MSF field workers responding to COVID-19: Caring for the most vulnerable amid a pandemic

Vlogs of MSF field workers responding to COVID-19

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Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF322423

Date taken / Date Recorded 08/06/2020 12:00 AM

Country Bangladesh, Cameroon, Iraq, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan

Commissioning section MSF-HONG KONG

Usage Rights (MSF) MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★★★ (C)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 3m38s

Maximum Size 1080px × 1080px 261.87 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist [00:09 – 00:04]
Caring for the vulnerable amidst a pandemic

[LOCATION TAG]
South Sudan

[NAME TAG]
Dr. Shirly Pador
Medical doctor

[00:05 – 00:21]
We see about 300 outpatient consultations every day. We also provide services to children less than five years old with severe acute malnutrition. That's aside from TB, HIV, malaria, kala-azar and other conditions.

[00:22 – 00:33]
You will see that a lot of our beneficiaries belong to the high-risk groups or the immunocompromised relative to getting COVID-19.

[00:33 – 00:42]
Some of our patients walk hours just to get to the hospital. For miles on end, we are the only secondary facility that they can access.

[LOCATION TAG]
Sierra Leone

[NAME TAG]
Jerwin Capuras
ICU nurse

[00:43 – 00:54]
We are very concerned with the little ones as a pediatric emergency hospital because we have a lot of patients with severe malaria, and patients with severe acute malnutrition.

[00:55 – 00:59]
We save a lot of babies. Sadly, at times, we also lose some babies.

[01:00 – 01:05]
These patients, they are very, very immunocompromised. So they are really the ones that need to be protected.

[LOCATION TAG]
Bangladesh

[NAME TAG]
Imee Japitana
Project Medical Referent

[01:06 – 01:16]
On a regular day, the hospital is running smoothly. So we have enough staff, in different wards, including the intensive care units.

[01:17 – 01:26]
And then, we had a measles outbreak beginning of this year, where the pediatric ward was really full of patients.

[01:27 – 01:37]
So it was very very difficult for the nurses especially because some of the patients that were referred to our hospital were serious cases already.

[01:38 – 01:40]
When it comes to the staff, we are overstretched.

[01:41 – 01:50]
When we started to communicate to the team about the COVID-19 response, everybody was just really scared to be assigned there.

[01:51 – 01:57]
What helped them also is being able to update them about the situation.

[LOCATION TAG]
Iraq

[NAME TAG]
Dr. Yuely Capileño
Project Medical Referent

[01:58 – 02:10]
In terms of catering to the less privileged members of the society, we ensure that the maternity services are still ongoing to lessen the gap.

[LOCATION TAG]
Cameroon

[NAME TAG]
Dr. Karina Aguilar
Project Medical Referent

[02:11 – 02:23]
Imagine the people in conflict. These are Cameroonians who fled the dangerous parts because either their house got burned down or their place is deemed too dangerous because that's where the heat of the conflict is.

[LOCATION TAG]
Nigeria

[NAME TAG]
Rodel Lambatin
Project Medical Referent

[02:24 – 02:33]
Thousands of our patients are settled in the informal camps without any good access to health care, water, sanitation, and hygiene.

[02:34 – 02:39]
And we are mostly catering children and women and elderly patients in those camps.

[02:40 – 02:48]
We push people to do proper handwashing every time. But how can they do it if they don’t have water in the first place in the community?

[02:49 – 03:05]
We don’t have enough latrines and showers in the informal camps. I have been to an IDP camp where they only have three, four latrines and then the population in that camp is actually 700 to 1,000 people.

[03:06 – 03:12]
They don’t have good shelter, so definitely if there are communicable diseases, it’s easier for the disease to spread in the community.

Dr. Shirly Pador [03:13 – 03:28]
The population we serve are constantly exposed to violence and do not have access to basic necessities like food, water and health care. It will be very challenging if we get COVID-19 here. But still we are preparing.

Dr. Karina Aguilar [03:29 – 03:35]
What can we do is PPEs, disinfection, proper hygiene for the team, and proper isolation for patients.