coronavirus

COVID-19: Unregulated market for personal protective equipment puts lives at risk

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Regulation to ensure that personal protective equipment (PPE) is distributed in an equitable and transparent manner during the COVID-19 pandemic must be put in place, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has urged. Since the beginning of the pandemic, competition in the market for medical supplies has reached unprecedented levels, and strong protectionist measures – notably bans … Read more

COVID-19: MSF welcomes WHO solidarity call to action to share COVID-19 technology and intellectual property

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Initiative is an important first step, but governments must make binding commitments to guarantee access GENEVA – Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) welcomed today’s launch of the World Health Organization (WHO) Solidarity Call to Action for equitable global access to COVID-19 health technologies through sharing of knowledge, intellectual property and data. As an international medical … Read more

Spain: MSF concludes COVID-19 response in Spain

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BARCELONA – More than two months after activating teams to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is ending our direct intervention in the country, having completed our mission to support the public health system to overcome the most critical period of the outbreak. We continue to respond to the pandemic and will … Read more

Bihar: MSF to set up COVID-19 treatment facility in Patna

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To fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) will soon launch its response to coronavirus in Patna, Bihar. The teams are working to set up a 100-bed COVID-19 treatment facility in the indoor stadium of Patliputra Sports Complex, Patna with the purpose of treating cases of COVID-19. The intervention aims to … Read more

Yemen: Catastrophe unfolding in Aden’s only COVID-19 treatment centre

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The number of deaths occurring in the COVID-19 treatment centre that MSF runs in Aden, Yemen, speaks to a wider catastrophe unfolding in the city. The UN and donor states need to do more urgently to help the response. The centre that MSF runs in the city is the only dedicated COVID-19 centre for the whole of southern Yemen. … Read more

Five things we can do to protect people on the move during COVID-19

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The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately impacting the world’s most vulnerable. Among them are more than 70 million forcibly displaced people worldwide – refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people (IDPs) – as well as migrant workers, including undocumented migrants. Many of these men, women and children live in formal and informal camps, reception centres, or in detention centres. … Read more

Jammu and Kashmir: Pre-existing mental health needs, Kashmir and COVID-19

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Ajaz Ahmad Sofi, Clinical Psychologist at MSF mental health care project in Jammu and Kashmir writes how our teams are working to meet a huge need for psychological support in the valley. “Complaints related to mental health are not new to the people in Kashmir. Decades of difficult times have led to a huge need … Read more

Three ways to cope with stress and anxiety during an epidemic

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Are you in self-isolation? Is your mind surrounded by information related to the epidemic/pandemic? In difficult times, like during a pandemic, many people start feeling stressed, anxious and have other overwhelming emotions. MSF Psychologist Sharika Amin offers three ways to help us cope with stress during these times.

Bangladesh: Five challenges for the Rohingya in Bangladesh amid COVID-19

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One of the most densely populated countries in the world, Bangladesh also houses the world’s largest refugee camp. Across Cox’s Bazar, nearly one million Rohingya refugees live in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions. As COVID-19 spreads through Bangladesh, these are the five key challenges to overcome. 1. Highly vulnerable populations Across Bangladesh, many impoverished communities face a precarious existence in crowded environments, making … Read more

Overwhelming, lonely, stressful – life in a COVID-19 unit in Geneva

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Kathrine Zimmerman is a nurse who has worked in intensive care units at the Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG), the university teaching hospital in Geneva, Switzerland. For 10 years, she completed humanitarian missions in Africa, Central America and Switzerland.  She currently manages the improvement of healthcare programme at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) headquarters in … Read more