Since the migration crisis in 2015, MSF has been running mobile clinics in Calais, in Marseille and in Paris, monitoring the health of people living in precarious conditions, notably migrants and refugees who struggle to access basic services and healthcare. Most of the migrants and refugees arriving in France today have already survived numerous dangers during their migratory journey, and many have had no access to healthcare for months or even years.

In Paris, migrants and refugees live in extremely dangerous and precarious conditions, in makeshift shelters or in camps. The overwhelming majority do not speak French and are unaware of their rights.

According to data collected by MSF mobile clinic in Paris from January to September 2023, 8 out of 10 patients have no health care insurance, even though they could be eligible for state medical aid.

While the pathologies diagnosed by MSF's medical teams in France are often the consequence of the migration journey, they are aggravated by the extreme precariousness of their living conditions on the French territory. The dangerous hygiene conditions and the lack of access to basic services, such as accommodation and a healthy and balanced diet, can aggravate pre-existing chronic pathologies and encourage the appearance of new ones.