How we work
Discover how we deliver medical humanitarian assistance
The medical team inside the intensive care unit of the MSF medical train monitor and stabalise a seriously war-wounded patient during the journey from Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine to Lviv, in western Ukraine. The journey takes approximately 20 hours. Ukraine, May 2022.
© Andrii Ovod
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides medical care to millions of people caught in crises around the world.
Our teams conduct independent evaluations to determine medical needs and assess what assistance to provide. Different criteria determine what we do, such as the magnitude of a given crisis, the levels of illness and mortality in the population, the severity of exclusion from healthcare, and the added value we can bring to the affected people. We regularly question the form, relevance and impact of our presence, taking into account what other organisations do.
How we do it
Everywhere we work, the circumstances are unique. Nonetheless, our programmes generally follow a common set of practices designed to make sure our resources and expertise are used to maximum effect.
01Impartiality
02Independence
03Neutrality
04Transparency & Accountability
01Impartiality
Our decision to offer assistance is based on our evaluation of medical needs, independent of political, economic or religious interests. Our independence is rooted in our funding; 98 per cent comes from individual private donors giving small amounts and private institutions. We strive to freely evaluate needs, access populations without restriction, and to directly deliver the aid we provide.
02Independence
Our decision to offer assistance is based on our evaluation of medical needs, independent of political, economic or religious interests. Our independence is rooted in our funding; 98 per cent comes from individual private donors giving small amounts and private institutions. We strive to freely evaluate needs, access populations without restriction, and to directly deliver the aid we provide.
03Neutrality
Our decision to offer assistance is based on our evaluation of medical needs, independent of political, economic or religious interests. Our independence is rooted in our funding; 98 per cent comes from individual private donors giving small amounts and private institutions. We strive to freely evaluate needs, access populations without restriction, and to directly deliver the aid we provide.
04Transparency & Accountability
Our decision to offer assistance is based on our evaluation of medical needs, independent of political, economic or religious interests. Our independence is rooted in our funding; 98 per cent comes from individual private donors giving small amounts and private institutions. We strive to freely evaluate needs, access populations without restriction, and to directly deliver the aid we provide.
how we work
Logistics: the cornerstone of our operations
Thousands of logisticians on the field make sure that everything runs smoothly. From maintaining the cold chain during vaccination campaigns, to servicing vehicles; from organising the provision of water and sanitation in a camp to setting up a field hospital - logistics is what makes our work possible.
Our supply centres in France, Belgium and the Netherlands (plus their regional hubs) dispatch pre-packaged kits, supplies and medicines needed for treating patients and running programmes. They guarantee the safety of medical and non-medical supplies, and deliver what our teams need, wherever needed and when they need it.
MSF Ethics Review Board
MSF sponsors or takes part in numerous research projects in the field. Results from several projects have had substantial impact on global health policy and benefited people served by MSF and beyond. As a result, research has become increasingly integral to our activities.
We pay special attention to the ethical issues arising from the research in which we engage. This led to the creation of an independent ethics review board in 2002 that evaluates all research proposals involving MSF.
Reflection centres
Critical reviews and reflection centres
With more than 40 years of field experience as an emergency and humanitarian aid organisation, and as part of our need to reflect critically on our actions and improve our ways of working, several reflection centres have been set up within MSF.
Their role is mainly to reflect and challenge the organisation on past humanitarian and medical actions, draw lessons-learned and ways forward for future operations, support advocacy efforts while also making sure to inspire debate inside MSF and beyond.
The centres conduct direct studies and analysis of MSF actions but also don't shy away from pointing out other gaps in the humanitarian system at large. Themes explored may include: migration, refugees, aid access and health policies.