Testimonies
Afghanistan
“They came to kill the mothers” in Kabul maternity hospital attack
In the days following the attack on the MSF-supported Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, it has become clear that what happened in Kabul on 12 May was a deliberate assault on a maternity hospital with the purpose of killing mothers in cold blood.
Eswatini
Responding to COVID-19 in a country already fighting a dual HIV/TB epidemic
Dr Bernhard Kerschberger, MSF Head of Mission in Eswatini, describes the challenges his team face responding to COVID-19 in a setting with high rates of HIV and TB, and how adapting care for patients is important to reduce the risk of exposure for the most vulnerable people.
Overwhelming, lonely, stressful – life in a COVID-19 unit in Geneva
Kathrine Zimmerman is a nurse who has worked in intensive care units at the Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG), the university teaching hospital in Geneva, Switzerland. She was seconded to work in the HUG's intensive care unit for patients with COVID-19 during March 2020, and shares with us her daily life during this unexpected emergency.
Burkina Faso
The COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a new emergency phase
Hassan Maïyaki is MSF´s Head of Mission in Burkina Faso. He explains the country's situation in the face of COVID-19, and the impact of the pandemic on public health.
France
“Access to medical care must be maintained for the most vulnerable”
On 24 March, MSF began providing medical support to health authorities fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in the city and suburbs around Paris, France. Annelise Coury is coordinating our response to COVID-19 in the region, and describes the situation.
Syria
“COVID-19 adds another layer of complexity to an already catastrophic situation”
Cristian Reynders, field coordinator for MSF operations in northwest Syria, explains what the potential spread of COVID-19 would mean in Idlib and how MSF is preparing for it.
Italy
COVID-19 pandemic brings new challenges to well-developed healthcare systems
Dr Claudia Lodesani, MSF president and emergency coordinator for COVID-19 in Italy, explains how our teams can assist her country’s well-developed health system to deal with the new challenge of a pandemic.
Italy
“Medical staff working beyond limits, in the first Covid-19 epicentre in Italy”
In Italy, we are supporting three hospitals at the first epicentre of the outbreak in the North – with teams working on infection control, remote patient care and outreach – and facilities for the elderly in central Italy. Dr Chiara Lepora is the project coordinator in Lodi, northern Italy.
Burkina Faso
Four questions on the unprecedented humanitarian emergency in Burkina Faso
Isabelle Defourny, MSF Director of Operations, was recently in Burkina Faso and raises the alarm on the humanitarian situation in the most conflict-affected areas of the country.
Libya
The forgotten ones
Michaël Neuman spent ten days in Libya with Médecins Sans Frontières teams working in detention centres for migrants. From his stay, he brings back the following impressions that illustrate the gloomy situation of the people who are held there, for months or years, and the even more difficult situation of all those subject to kidnapping and torture.