Stories & News

Located at the west of Kirkuk Governorate, the Hawija district was part of Iraq’s one-third of territory that fell under the control of the Islamic State (IS) group in 2014. For three years, thousands of people fled their homes, leaving everything behind. Hundreds of thousands were displaced into camps in Kirkuk and other governorates. The district’s health infrastructure sustained significant damage. 

In the aftermath of a harrowing war in his cherished homeland, Iraq, Dr Rasheed Fakhri found himself at a crossroads. To stay or to flee. 

Little did he know that this uncertain path would lead him to serve his fellow Iraqis for nearly 17 years, far from the familiar streets of home. This is the story of his unchartered journey with MSF, where his dedication and compassion played a pivotal role in reshaping lives amidst the chaos of post-war Iraq.

In 2022, MSF teams around the world continued to respond to crises, old and new. While COVID-19 was not the emergency it was in previous years, new challenges arose. The war in Ukraine escalated in February; the political, humanitarian and economic crises in Haiti deteriorated severely; cholera emerged on an exceptional scale in several countries. 

Since 2016, MSF has been providing free access to healthcare services to those who fled Hawija during the control of the Islamic State group, including those who have since returned and those who chose not to leave. 

Many healthcare facilities were either partially or entirely destroyed during the battles to retake Hawija from the control of the IS group, leaving the returning population with reduced access to much-needed healthcare services. 

Nurse Jacob Coleman, from Brisbane, was recently working with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) as part of a team responding to COVID-19 in Mosul, Iraq. He shares his experience working in the intensive care unit (ICU), advice for other nurses, and his belief in equal access to healthcare for all people. 

Psychologist Malcolm Hugo is one of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Australia’s most experienced field workers. He has completed more than 20 field assignments, including responding to some of the key humanitarian crises of recent times.

Nurses and midwives are the backbone of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) multidisciplinary teams. They also fulfill diverse and critical roles in health promotion, patient education and community care. 

Throughout 2020, MSF is celebrating the efforts of nurses and midwives and highlighting their daily contributions in and alongside MSF projects.