Doctors Without Borders

 

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, was founded in 1971.  It’s country of origin is France. What sparked the creation of this group was war and famine in Nigeria. When it was first founded, it was made up of 300 volunteers, ranging from logistic experts, doctors, and other staff. They're not just doctors, but a wide array of medical professionals and non-medical professionals. They were awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1999. 

Their primary goal at the start was to establish an independent organization that focused on " delivering emergency medical humanitarian aid quickly, effectively, and impartially," according to their website. They have a few guiding principles, like being independent, impartial, and neutral. They are also guided by medical ethics, a desire to be transparent and accountable, as well as committed to bearing witness. Of course, they are also committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

They accomplish these goals by going into areas in active crisis. These include: war and conflicts, natural disasters, outbreaks and epidemics, as well as refugees and internally displaced people. They deploy their network of aid workers as rapidly as possible to these areas. From setting up temporary facilities, to administering mass vaccinations, to improving water and sanitation services to help prevent the spread of disease, MSF carries out its goals in many ways. It all depends on the situation's unique needs. 

MSF has established its presence by going into areas of crisis “where many others can’t or won’t” go to administer aid, regardless of politics or sides. They have established aid workers in more than 70 countries for rapid response. Most members are already local to the country where the office is located. That said, they do have international staff that generally take on a more senior or managerial role depending on the needs of the location. This alleviates some concerns that come with coordinating across borders and legal requirements for practicing medical staff. By already having staff in countries at risk, this allows them to create a swift emergency response as well as monitor the situation. It is my understanding that they are doing this with exploratory missions, or at least are in the beginning of establishing their presence. While they’re there, they are also collecting information to better treat the crisis.  

MSF is actually made up of 26 associations around the world. These are their own independent legal entity registered in the country where they operate, like the U.S., Holland, Luxembourg, Norway, etc. These associates are linked to six operational centers that directly manage MSF humanitarian action in the field and decide the when/what/where of medical aid. All 26 MSF associates are held to the authority of an annual Internation General Assembly or IGA. This board is made up of representatives from the MSF groups and individual members.