Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) is an international medical and non-governmental organization that provides emergency assistance to individuals in more than 70 countries. Founded in France in 1971 by a group of doctors and journalists to address the famine in Biafra, Nigeria, this humanitarian organization continues to deliver emergency aid to areas of the world torn apart by armed violence, epidemic illness, inadequate health care systems, and disasters (natural and human-made). The health care workers in this organization include physicians, nurses, strategic planners, experts in water and sanitation, administrators, and other nonmedical staff. When intervening after an emergency, the Doctors Without Borders teams work closely with staff that they hire locally to provide the medical relief that is most effective and necessary.

Throughout Sierra Leone, amputee communities exist and are in urgent need of help since the government does not provide assistance. Amputee communities depend on relief efforts from numerous international organizations. Doctors Without Borders works closely with NGOs such as Global Action Foundation to provide medical services.

Source: Photo by John Daniel Kelly/Global Action Foundation, http://www.go-act.org.

This organization has provided relief in numerous armed conflicts, including the civil wars in Sri Lanka, Liberia, Somalia, Burundi, the Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone. Doctors Without Borders has also intervened in war situations in Cambodia, Lebanon, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Central America, the Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq, Bosnia, the genocide in Rwanda, the Srebenica massacre, the second war in Chechnya, the U.S.-led coalition invasion of Afghanistan, the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and fighting in the Liberian capital. Their work addressing famine relief includes countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia, North Korea, Southern Sudan, and Angola. In addition, the organization addresses widespread illness in countries, treating infectious diseases such as the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, meningitis, and malaria in Africa. Regardless of the sociopolitical context of the crisis in a country, the organization methodically assesses the needs of the people in the country that requires assistance. Doctors Without Borders clearly communicates that their mission does not involve partisan politics. Rather, the decision they make about whether to [Page 472]intervene in a country is based on their assessment of the specific needs of the individuals in that country.

Doctors Without Borders is internationally recognized for its rapid response to emergency situations around the globe. The medical teams arrive in countries requiring medical aid fully provisioned with the medical protocols and supplies needed to immediately begin saving lives. Supporting their efforts is their strategic organization of needed medical supplies. For instance, Doctors Without Borders have medical equipment and kits that are specially prepared and prepack-aged to treat cholera. Therefore, when a cholera outbreak occurs, they can immediately provide the necessary medical assistance. Due to their effectiveness, the tools and organizing skills that the organization uses as a model of intervention have been replicated by numerous other international relief organizations.

The Doctors Without Borders teams typically work 6 to 12 months when responding to a crisis situation. The expenses that are incurred during assignments are covered by the organization, and sometimes a small stipend is provided as well. Recently, the organization has taken on an advocacy role based on the knowledge garnered from their interventions. For instance, Doctors Without Borders is highlighting the cost-prohibitive challenges of drug prices, the need for research of alternative treatments of illness, and the trade barriers that exist in accessing effective and necessary medical treatment.

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