Stories & News

On 10, 11 and 12 June, teams on board the MSF-chartered search and rescue vessel, GeoBarents, carried out seven consecutive rescues of people from unseaworthy boats in distress in the central Mediterranean Sea. In less than 48 hours, our teams safely brought on board 410 men, women and children, including one pregnant woman and 91 unaccompanied minors. Some of the survivors recounted their harrowing stories of survival in attempting to cross the deadliest migratory route in the world.

Today we are in mourning after receiving confirmation of the death of three of our colleagues who we were working in Tigray. Maria Hernandez, our emergency coordinator, Yohannes Halefom Reda, our assistant coordinator and Tedros Gebremariam Gebremichael our driver were travelling yesterday afternoon when we lost contact with them. This morning the vehicle was found empty and a few metres away, their lifeless bodies.

While thousands of people struggle to access vital healthcare in the northwest region of Cameroon, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is still being prevented from resuming healthcare care services in the region.

For the past six months, this forced suspension of MSF's activities by Cameroonian authorities has denied people access to urgent and life-saving care. We're calling on the government of Cameroon to immediately lift this suspension and prioritise the medical needs of the population. 

The northern province of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique is one of the poorest regions in the country. Those living in Cabo Delgado have been suffering violent attacks from a Non-State Armed Group since 2017—attacks that have left close to 700,000 people displaced, traumatised, and without access to essentials like water and healthcare.

Ahead of the G7 summit this week, Médecins Sans Frontières Australia is calling on the Australian government to immediately donate surplus vaccines that have been manufactured in Australia to COVAX. 

As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across Papua New Guinea, fear and concern around the virus and its treatments have become widespread. Combatting this fear is critical to preventing further spread of COVID-19. 

MSF teams are working to combat this stigma and fear—as well as improve physical and mental health—through phone counselling for those who have contracted COVID-19. 

Peru, which in recent days has revised up the number of deaths from COVID-19, currently has the highest COVID-19 mortality rate in the world.

The revelation comes as the country experiences a major gap in its access to vaccines and is still struggling with overwhelmed intensive care units, even if the overall number of cases has declined in recent weeks few weeks. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) expanded our intervention with a new facility in Cusco, to help relieve some of the pressure on treatment of the more critical cases.

The Australian government needs to support formal negotiations on the landmark intellectual property waiver being discussed today at the World Trade Organization meeting, says the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) and Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) calls on Myanmar’s de facto military government and other groups to take all steps to ensure people have safe and unhindered access to healthcare. Equally, medical staff must be able to provide life-saving care without attacks, detention or intimidation.

In the MSF Children’s Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, critically ill children are treated year-round. Many suffer life-threatening complications of malaria—like Paul B. Morris Junior, who arrived unconscious. Paul’s mother Lydia and the team who treated him share his story.