Where is it Medecins Sans Frontieres?

Médecins Sans Frontières MSF (Doctors Without Borders) is an independent international medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid in more than 60 countries to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters or exclusion from healthcare.

In emergencies and their aftermath, MSF rehabilitates and runs hospitals and clinics, performs surgery, battles epidemics, carries out vaccination campaigns, operates feeding centres for malnourished children and offers mental healthcare.

When needed, MSF also constructs wells, dispenses clean drinking water and provides shelter materials, such as blankets and plastic sheeting.

Through longer term programmes, MSF treats patients with Infectious Diseases such as tuberculosis, sleeping sickness and HIV/AIDS and provides medical and psychological care to marginalised groups, such as street children.

Founded by doctors and journalists in 1971, MSF is now a worldwide movement with offices in 19 countries and an international coordination office in Geneva, Switzerland.

As an independent and self-directed organisation, MSF's actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of neutrality and impartiality. This means that MSF offers assistance to people based only on need and irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.

MSF strives to ensure that we have the power to freely evaluate medical needs, to access populations without restriction and to directly control the aid we provide giving priority to those in most grave danger. MSF does not take sides in armed conflict and insists on unhindered access to patients.

When MSF is witness to massive and neglected acts of violence against individuals and groups, we may speak out publicly based on eyewitness accounts, medical data and experience.

The work of MSF is carried out by over 25,000 health professionals, logistics experts and administrative staff who run projects in approximately 65 countries around the world.

The MSF movement was awarded the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize.