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.
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
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.
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
Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/healthcare exclusion Natural disaster
Cameroon is facing multiple and overlapping crises, including recurrent epidemics, malnutrition due to food insecurity, displacement, and conflict.
Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Armed conflict Healthcare exclusion Natural disaster
The political, economic and military crises of 2002-2010 have taken a severe toll on the Ivorian health system.
MSF worked in Ecuador until 2007. Why were we there? Endemic/Epidemic disease Natural disaster
In France, we work with migrants and refugees, who encounter policies and practices aimed at preventing them from settling or claiming their rights.
Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/heathcare exclusion
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.
Honduras has experienced years of political, economic and social instability, and has one of the highest rates of violence in the world. This has great medical, psychological and social consequences for people.
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
Jordan hosts over 700,000 refugees, according to the UNHCR, many of whom reside in camps or have settled in the country.
Although health services are being progressively restored in Liberia, important gaps persist, notably in specialised paediatric care and mental health.
Libya remains fragmented by a decade of conflict and political instability. The breakdown of law and order, the collapse of the economy, and fighting have decimated the healthcare system.
Access to medical care remains very limited in the north and centre of Mali due to a lack of medical staff and supplies and spiralling violence between armed groups.
In Mozambique we are responding to emergencies including disease outbreaks, providing care to people with advanced HIV, while also working in the conflict-ridden Cabo-Delgado province.
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.
At the end of 2007, MSF ended its activities in Rwanda after 16 years in the country. MSF's work included assistance to displaced persons, war surgery, programmes for unaccompanied children and street children, support to victims traumatised by the conflict, programmes to improve access to healthcare, responding to epidemics such as malaria, cholera and tuberculosis, and projects linked to maternal and reproductive health.
Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/Epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence Healthcare exclusion
