Médecins Sans Frontières - MSF - An introduction [ENG]

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSB59133

Date taken / Date Recorded 20/04/2021 8:54 PM

Country France

Commissioning section MSF-FRANCE

Copyright MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) Advertising Campaign, External Media, MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★★★★★ (A)

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

Duration 9m29s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 1.01 GB

Additional Information / Shotlist Médecins Sans Frontières

International humanitarian medical association Médecins sans Frontières was founded in 1971 by a group of doctors and journalists. They wanted to deliver emergency medical aid to wherever in the world it was needed and speak out about what they witnessed.
Since that time, MSF teams have been providing assistance to people across the world whose lives or health are in danger, are enduring a crisis or who have no access to health care.

In conflict situations, MSF's actions are guided by its principles of impartiality and neutrality. This means delivering aid without any form of discrimination, giving priority to individuals at most immediate risk and not siding with any of the warring parties.

Central to MSF’s identity is also a commitment to independence—an independence fostered by the association’s financial autonomy. Almost all of its funding is provided by the generosity of millions of private donors from across the globe.

MSF speaks out to inform and alert the public to the plight of the populations it assists, the critical nature of a situation and mobilise relief efforts.

Lindis Hurum – MSF project coordinator (FR)
“We’re doing our best, but we’re overwhelmed. 35,000 people… We can’t do it alone. We have to have help! Where are they all? I don’t understand.
We’re right next to the airport. It’s not like we can pretend they’re not here. Everyone knows they are. It’s the capital city’s airport.”

A l’écran : Médecins Sans Frontières

A l’écran : IMPARTIALITY - NEUTRALITY

A l’écran : INDEPENDENCE

WHAT DO WE DO?

MSF's core activity is delivering medical aid when a country’s health system does not or is no longer able to do so. War surgery, mass vaccination to prevent epidemics, restoring basic medical services during population displacements, re-establishing access to clean water after a natural disaster… the aim is to reach as many people as quickly as possible.

MSF's medical assistance is also intended for individuals and remote communities abandoned by their governments or left to their fate by the pharmaceutical industry.

Ture Baigu – MSF Community health worker (ENG)

“Last time I injected you on that side, right?
Ok Tau, bye. See you on Monday.”
“La dernière fois je t’ai piqué de ce côté, non ?
Salut Tau… À lundi prochain !”

All these activities call on skills developed over the years. Working in volatile settings requires logistical support capable of preparing, transporting and storing everything the teams might need in the field. Kits, basically standardised toolboxes, allow the teams—depending on what’s required—to vaccinate thousands of people against cholera, or set up an inflatable hospital in under two days.

A l’écran : WHAT DO WE DO?

WHO ARE WE?

Almost 90% of personnel working in the field are employed locally. The rest are international staff. Their professions generally fall into one of three categories—medical, logistics and administrative—, ranging from midwives and accountants to mechanics and pharmacists.
For example, a water and hygiene specialist will be responsible for building latrines in a displaced persons camp,

Gwenola François, MSF head of mission (FR)
“Well, it withstood the typhoon. That’s the main thing.”

a nurse for supervising a primary health care centre or organising an information campaign, and a human resources manager for recruiting staff needed for a vaccination campaign.

A l’écran : WHO ARE WE?

A l’écran : MEDICAL - LOGISTICS - ADMINISTRATION

IN WHAT TYPE OF SITUATION DO WE TAKE ACTION?

A l’écran : IN WHAT TYPE OF SITUATION DO WE TAKE ACTION?

ARMED CONFLICTS

Close to a third of MSF’s projects are in conflict zones.
In the chaos of war, MSF seeks not only to provide surgical care to people wounded in the fighting, but also to restore access to basic health services for the whole population.

Bernard Leménager, surgeon (FR)
“Every day we treat 10 to 12 patients injured by bullets or explosions. We see amputations often caused by mines, and perform surgery on wounds that have perforated the abdomen. We perform caesareans too, because our hospital is the only one providing surgery in the area.”

The teams have to negotiate constantly to be able to provide assistance to those whose needs they consider a priority.

We had to evacuate four wounded, so went to talk to the commander. When I got to their base, there were more than 300 men, all armed. Still, we had an advantage because the commander had been shot in the foot and had been treated in our hospital. I said to the commander: "Remember what MSF did for you? I have a patient who must be transferred as quickly as possible. I don't have time to lose!"

A l’écran : ARMED CONFLICTS

NATURAL DISASTERS

Audrey Landman, MSF project coordinator (FR)
“The landscape was apocalyptic. It was 6 days after the typhoon hit.
There was a still lot of rubble everywhere. The buildings were badly damaged."

In the case of an earthquake, hurricane or any other natural disaster, the priority is to send in experienced personnel to assess the situation and identify the most urgent needs. As soon as the necessary equipment arrives, operations can be launched.

Xxxx Xxxxxx (FR)
“Behind me is the plot we’ve found for the structure. It’s a football pitch. It’ll be equipped with around 80 beds.”

A l’écran : NATURAL DISASTERS

POPULATION DISPLACEMENTS

Forced to live in overcrowded camps with insufficient food and drinking water, people displaced by conflict or natural disaster are particularly vulnerable to measles, diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory infections, malaria and malnutrition. The most fragile—pregnant women, young children, the sick and elderly—can die in large numbers within just a few weeks. In these situations, MSF launches emergency aid operations.

Xxxx Xxxxxx (ENG)
“Ok, let’s go!”
“C’est parti !”

Xxxx Xxxxxx (FR)
“We see an average of about 300 patients a day. A third are children, the rest have a range of medical conditions.

The emergency phase over, MSF’s work evolves along with the refugees’ needs. Then it’s a question of maintaining continued access to basic services for people the world forgets—some of whom end up living in camps for years.

Mohammed (ENG)
“Here, we have no purpose, we have no chance, in this refugee camp.”
“On n’a aucun but ni aucune chance dans ce camp de réfugiés.”

MSF also assists vulnerable people on their journeys along migration routes in Europe, Latin America and the Mediterranean Sea.

Xxxx Xxxxx (FR)
“I’m going to give you life jackets.”

A l’écran : POPULATION DISPLACEMENTS

EPIDEMICS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Cholera, measles, Ebola, hepatitis C, tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS… These are some of the infectious diseases MSF confronts in the places where its teams provide assistance.

In the event of a sudden outbreak, the teams are able to deploy rapidly.

Caroline Seguin, MSF Emergency coordinator (FR)
“Haiti has never had a cholera epidemic. We’re really concerned that we won’t have enough capacity to be able to treat all the patients we’ll see in the next few days. Right now, they’re arriving in huge numbers. Our hospital is completely full. We’re even refusing patients referred to us, because we know we won’t be able to treat them.”

MSF also provides patients with long-term care.

Nathalie, physiotherapist (ARMENIAN)
“Take a deep breath.”

Aram, MSF patient (ARMENIAN)
“I went to the hospital. They told me I’d have to take the drugs for two years. I couldn’t believe it. It was tough. But, gradually I got used to it.”

A l’écran : EPIDEMICS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Six operational entities steered by an international office and supported by 26 associations based around the world are tasked with running these operations.

MSF's assistance in the field also relies on a network of partners and support organisations.

Whether it’s critical reflection on humanitarian action, campaigning for access to drugs for diseases neglected by the pharmaceutical industry, conducting epidemiological surveys, participating directly in medical research or managing a central supply centre… all these partners and organisations make a vital contribution to MSF's work.

A l’écran : PARIS - AMSTERDAM - BRUSSELS - GENEVA - BARCELONA

A l’écran :
-CRASH / Centre for Critical Reflection on Humanitarian Practices and Knowledge
-CAME / Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines
-EPICENTRE / MSF’s Epidemiological Research Division
-DNDi / Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative
-MSF LOGISTIQUE / MSF’s Central Supply Centre