Stories & News

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was still grappling with the country’s largest Ebola outbreak when a new 11th outbreak took hold in June. But the current outbreak, located in the country’s west, looks quite different from its record-setting predecessor: the virus appears to be spreading more slowly, producing small clusters in isolated areas, and has a lower mortality rate. 

But why is this outbreak so different from the country’s previous experiences? How has the medical response evolved, and how can we take advantage of the experience gained through previous outbreaks? 

Nurses and midwives provide a vast range of healthcare from prevention to cure, encompassing areas such as health promotion, emergency care, childbirth, neonatal care, and surgical and medical care. With 80 per cent of primary healthcare around the world provided by nurses and midwives, the impact these medical professionals have is far-reaching.   

Here’s a few things you may not know about these essential healthcare workers and the care they provide worldwide. 

Their talents are broad, their skillsets immense, their workplaces diverse. From antenatal care to zoonotic diseases, here’s the A-to-Z on what keeps MSF’s nurses and midwives occupied around the world, and how we support them in low-resource settings. 

In Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) projects responding to the COVID-19 outbreak in Mexico and India, mental healthcare has formed an important part of our treatment for patients—and has been critical for people’s recovery from the disease.

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.

Severe flooding is affecting an estimated 1.3 million people across South Sudan and Ethiopia, inundating homes and leaving many without adequate food, water or shelter. Heavy summer rains have seen many areas flooded since July, with river levels continuing to rise.

Médecins Sans Frontières field workers are familiar with responding to emergencies and navigating quickly changing circumstances. Many have now drawn on that experience as they respond to the COVID-19 outbreak within Australia, in roles ranging from direct patient care, to providing health workers with psychological support, to managing Australia’s overall medical response. 

Médecins Sans Frontières is an international medical humanitarian organisation. We provide free medical care to millions of people in more than 70 countries around the world. This humanitarian assistance is made possible by the work of our field workers including many from Australia and New Zealand. Each year, MSF Australia sends around 200 Australians and New Zealanders on overseas field assignments to provide medical-humanitarian aid.

Gwoza, a garrison town in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, is home to 60,000 people, many of whom have been displaced from their homes by the conflict. Living conditions are difficult: there is little humanitarian aid, and frequent clashes take place between the military and armed groups. Many people in Gwoza have witnessed acts of violence or lost loved ones, livelihoods and homes as they fled in search of safety. Among those victim to this violence are children, many of whom arrived in Gwoza alone.

Australian Hazel Singh worked on an assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2019. She reflects on her role as a Human Resources Manager, helping staff in our projects to improve their skills, knowledge and experience.