Stories From Patients & Staff

Dr Monica Costeira from Portugal is a paediatrician in MSF’s project in Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh Province of Afghanistan. Following a four month assignment, she reports on the gaps in access to paediatric and neonatal healthcare for mothers in northern Afghanistan and describes the strength and resilience of families and children at the Mazar-i-Sharif Regional Hospital.

In 2012, a year after war broke out in Syria Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) opened a burn care unit in Atmeh, in northwestern Syria’s Idlib province. It is currently the only facility treating burn patients in northwestern Syria, home to more than more than 4.5 million people, most of whom are displaced. 

Set up two years ago, MSF’s South Sudan Emergency Response Unit (SSERU) was designed as a first responder to crises across South Sudan and to reinforce MSF’s preparedness for dealing with emergencies. This article describes the SSERU’s first major emergency response which took place in Paloich in July and August 2023. 

Abbas* is one of over 6,000 Palestinians from Gaza who used to work in Israel and became refugees in the West Bank as a result of the Israel-Gaza war. Now a patient of MSF teams offering psychological support in Nablus, he describes the ordeal of being displaced and separated from his family, who remains trapped under the bombs in Gaza.

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.

Ricardo Martinez is a logistics coordinator with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) who is just back from four weeks in Gaza. 

In the challenging terrains of South Sudan, Mary James navigates more than just roads. She navigates a path of inspiration, breaking gender barriers as the first female driver in Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in this region.

Dr Lisa Searle is a general practitioner from Tasmania who has built a career with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), completing 11 assignments since 2010.

Jennifer is a member of our Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Australia recruitment team, from Perth. She has built a career with MSF over five overseas assignments including in Nigeria, Tanzania, Cambodia and Palestine.

After the devastating monsoons in Pakistan in 2022, MSF set up a community-based malnutrition program in the remote part of Dadu district.