South Sudan: health workers bring lifeline to remote areas

Amid insecurity, semi-nomadic populations, just like the rest of South Sudan, suffer from climate change, causing both increased flooding and more severe droughts. In the latest years, water and food has been scarce, and cattle keepers and farmers had to move farther from functional healthcare facilities, worsening their access to medical care. In remote areas, … Read more

Kenya: Reimagining a patient centered model of care in the management of Diabetes and Hypertension

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), like Diabetes, Hypertension, Asthma, Epilepsy, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, among others, account for up to 39 in every 100 deaths in Kenya. In 2019 an internal review in the inpatient department at the Homa Bay Country Teaching and Referral Hospital, showed that 1 in every 5 deaths occurred from a chronic … Read more

Brazil: MSF teams aim at supporting most vulnerable in response to Brazil’s biggest climate disaster to date

Professionals face logistic challenges in order to reach population affected by severe floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The situation is catastrophic. When we arrived and traveled through the region by helicopter, we were able to view the towns from above and noticed that in some cases we couldn’t even see the … Read more

Mali: increased surgical needs among women and children in Niono

In December 2023, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) began providing surgical activities at the Niono hospital in central Mali. MSF teams have now renovated the department, as well as providing additional resources to cater to the needs. People living in Niono and the surrounding area suffer the effects of armed conflict, with limited access to quality … Read more

Afghanistan: Measles surge necessitates strengthening of prevention measures

Ten-month-old Bilal lies in bed at Mazar-i-Sharif regional hospital, in Afghanistan’s Balkh province, where he is being treated for measles and pneumonia, watched over by his mother Zakia.  When Bilal fell ill with a fever, Zakia took him to one privately-run clinic after another, but his condition got worse. “In the beginning, he had a … Read more

From bombs to desolate halls: MSF responds to people displaced in Zalingei, Sudan, without assistance

The war in Sudan has caused massive devastation and one of the world’s largest displacement crises. After heavy fighting between Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) started in the Darfur region, most humanitarian actors evacuated – and most have yet to return. A year later, people are still cut from assistance, such … Read more

Strikes, raids and incursions: Seven months of relentless attacks on healthcare in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

In the last seven months the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip has been systematically dismantled. According to OCHA[1], 24 hospitals in Gaza are now out of service, while 493 health workers have been killed. Each medical centre or humanitarian delivery system has been or is being destroyed, to be replaced by less effective, improvised … Read more

Climate change: Malaria on the rise with healthcare out of reach

Madagascar is one of the countries most affected by malaria. According to the Ministry of Public Health, the reported number of malaria cases in 2023 exceeded the national epidemic threshold: 2.8 million cases and 400 deaths were recorded, compared to 1.7 million in 2022. In Ikongo district, where Médecins Sans Frontières is providing health and … Read more

Haiti: How violence is affecting health and health care workers

Dr Priscille Cupidon, medical activity manager of the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) urban violence project in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, explains how the chronic extreme violence gripping the city has impacted medical care and healthcare workers like her. I am a doctor in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, hearing gunfire as armed groups and police battle … Read more

Namrata’s journey: triumph over drug-resistant Tuberculosis

Mumbai, India- Namrata’s story is a testament to the timeless principle that consistency is crucial. Her disciplined approach to maintaining a routine, embracing a healthy lifestyle, and adhering to medication regimens demonstrates that even formidable conditions like drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) can be overcome. In 2016, Namrata was employed at a daycare in an international school … Read more