Serbia

During the conflict that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Médecins Sans Frontières provided medical and mental health care for people directly affected by both the violence and its aftermath. Today, Serbia is part of the overland route taken by many refugees and migrants in their attempts to reach a more secure life in Europe.

MSF has been providing medical and mental health support to migrants and refugees crossing into or stranded in Serbia since 2014.

Despite the official closure of the ‘Balkan route’ in 2016, refugees and migrants continue to travel through Serbia and other Balkan states on their way to other countries in Europe. Many end up stranded, squatting in abandoned buildings, exposed to harsh weather conditions and with no access to healthcare.

Serbia

A man showers in the snow as authorities have not allowed toilets and showers to be installed in the warehouse where refugees are living, leaving people with no clean water, electricity, or sanitation amenities. The number of refugees in the country is still unclear. © Gillie / MSF

MSF provides medical and humanitarian support, including erecting tents in order to accommodate the most vulnerable people during the winter months. In March 2017, MSF opened a clinic in Belgrade, offering primary medical and mental healthcare.

Teams also started mental health activities outside the two main camps in the Belgrade area, where they have identified a worrying increase in numbers of people showing symptoms of distress, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, especially among those who are left with no alternative but to wait in administrative and legal limbo.

With the EU/Turkey deal and the official closure of the Balkan road, the EU has decided to turn the entire region into its own gatekeeper, in a bid to stem the flow of those seeking protection from some of today’s most active warzones

Stefano Argenziano
Médecins Sans Frontières’ operations coordinator on migration

Meanwhile, people trying to cross borders experienced violence and abuse allegedly perpetrated by border guards of multiple European countries, who use unnecessary force to push them back. Injuries include dog bites, irritations from tear gas and pepper spray, or injuries from beatings.

MSF denounces the inhumane treatment of asylum seekers, and provides medical and mental health assistance to victims of such violence via mobile teams along the Hungarian and Croatian borders.

Find out more about Serbia

Médecins Sans Frontières has been working in Afghanistan since 1980, providing emergency surgical care, responding to conflict and natural disasters, and treating people cut off from healthcare. 

MSF worked in Angola from 1983 until 2007. Why were we there? Armed conflict Endemic/Epidemic disease Social violence/Healthcare exclusion

MSF worked in Argentina from 2001 until 2003. Why were we there? Providing essential medicines and supplies

MSF worked in Belgium from 1987 to 2009

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/healthcare exclusion Natural disaster

Why are we there? Endemic/Epidemic disease

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease

Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Armed conflict Healthcare exclusion Natural disaster

MSF worked in Ecuador until 2007. Why were we there? Endemic/Epidemic disease Natural disaster

Find out more about MSF's work in Egypt

Why are we there? Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/heathcare exclusion

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease

Haiti’s healthcare system remains precarious in the wake of natural disasters and ongoing political and economic crises. Ongoing disasters have led to Haiti becoming the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Why are we there? Armed conflict Social violence Healthcare exclusion Endemic/epidemic disease

An MSF team in Hong Kong opened a project at the end of January focusing on health education for vulnerable people. Community engagement is a crucial activity of any outbreak response and in Hong Kong, this focuses on groups who are less likely to have access to important medical information, such as the socio-economically disadvantaged. The team is also targeting those who are more vulnerable to developing severe disease if they are infected, such as the elderly.

MSF worked in Indonesia between 1995 and 2009 Why were we there? Natural disaster

Find out about MSF's work in Iran

Why we are there? Healthcare exclusion Natural disaster

Why are we there? Natural disasters

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Healthcare exclusion

MSF ended its operations in Liberia in 2012. Why were we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Armed conflict

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Natural disaster

Why are we there? Conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Access to healthcare

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Providing comprehensive emergency healthcare to people in remote regions of Pakistan is a priority, yet accessibility and security are a constraint for both Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and patients.

Why are we there? Armed conflict Healthcare exclusion

MSF worked in Rwanda from 1991 until 2007.
Why were we there? Conflict Healthcare exclusion Endemic/Epidemic disease

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why were we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Refugee assistance

Why are we there? Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/Epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why were we there? Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence Healthcare exclusion