About MSF

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) translates to Doctors without Borders. We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. 

MSF was founded in 1971 in Paris by a group of journalists and doctors. Today, we are a worldwide movement of more than 67,000 people.

Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff - bound together by our charter.  Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality. We are a non-profit, self-governed, member-based organisation.

About MSF

Responding to Emergencies

When an emergency strikes, the first 72 hours are critical. This is the lifesaving phase, when medical care is most crucial. During this small window of opportunity, it’s vital that MSF gets on the ground quickly with the equipment and supplies necessary to start saving lives.

 

INFO SHEET: THE FIRST 72 HOURS

 

ACTIVITY: BUILDING AN INFLATABLE HOSPITAL

 

ACTIVITY: BUILD AN OFF-ROAD AMBULANCE

 

Posters

The following posters have been produced to give you supplementary learning materials for student learning outcomes within the context of MSF’s work. If you have any feedback on other posters and information you would like for your classroom in this format, please get in contact with us!

The bubble operating theatre

In Kabala hospital, Sierra Leone, MSF has been trialling an innovative mobile surgical space that could revolutionise the way our medical teams conduct surgery in conflict zones and in the aftermath of emergencies.

The bubble operating theatre is a portable surgical unit equipped with an air filter that provides sterile conditions for surgery. Quick to assemble, the bubble OT is easily deployed and is designed for repeated use.

3D printed prosthetics

MSF’s reconstructive surgery hospital in Amman, Jordan, provides specialised medical care and rehabilitation for patients wounded and disfigured in conflicts throughout the region.

In 2017, MSF introduced a 3D printing project at the hospital to provide prosthetic upper limbs for patients.

Rapid interventions

This two-sided graphic explains how MSF responds to emergencies during the first 72 hours—the lifesaving phase in a major emergency.

It takes a look at our RISK kit (Rapid Intervention Surgical Kit) that can fit in the back of an MSF Land Cruiser and be deployed within hours.