Delivering care in a conflict zone

Traumatic injuries are often the first issues we encounter when our teams arrive at the scene. War results in a variety of life-threatening wounds depending on the weapons used by combatants. MSF teams have treated gunshot wounds, injuries from rocket fire and shelling, and injuries caused by landmines and other unexploded ordnance left over from previous conflicts.

How we help: When conflict arises, MSF’s global logistics network quickly mobilizes local and international staff to respond where needs are greatest. This can include setting up temporary field hospitals to provide lifesaving health care and surgery, sending mobile health clinics to remote villages or displacement camps, and working with local authorities to support and expand existing medical facilities.

During war and conflict, regular medical needs soar as health care services collapse. Pregnant women, or people with chronic diseases such as diabetes or HIV, are left particularly vulnerable. Local hospitals and health facilities are often damaged or outright destroyed, and those remaining can become overwhelmed with the sudden influx of patients. The stress on facilities can also increase as fighting eases, when more people feel safe leaving their homes or temporary shelters to seek care.

How we help: In addition to providing emergency trauma care during and following conflict, we also support local health facilities with essential medicines and supplies, train local staff to provide specialized treatment, and assist medical teams with urgent patient care. Close collaboration with local health authorities and organizations is vital to this area of our work.

Conflict often uproots people from their homes, leaving them displaced in their own country or as refugees in another. While some may seek shelter with family or friends, others are forced to wander indefinitely or settle in displacement camps that are often overcrowded and lack essential water, hygiene, and health care infrastructure. 

How we help: MSF teams travel by car, train, boat, or helicopter to dispatch mobile clinics to areas in and around conflict zones. Our teams provide displaced people with medical and psychological first aid, routine health care for people with chronic conditions, and essential relief items like tents and blankets. 

Every day, MSF staff witness the heavy psychological toll of conflict, and the invisible wounds left behind can cut just as deep as physical wounds. MSF’s mental health teams often see depression, anxiety, sleeping disorders, and other mental health disorders  among patients living through conflict.

How we help: We integrate psychological first aid into our response to all emergencies to provide immediate mental health support for people in crisis. This practice involves stabilizing people in emotional or physical distress, removing them from immediate danger, and promptly connecting them to appropriate mental health services. In terms of services, MSF mental health teams provide care using a variety of means depending on the context, from one-on-one counseling to group sessions, as well as art and animal therapy.

About 90 percent of our staff is recruited and trained locally, and live in the communities they serve. These staff members are often the first on the ground when conflict arises, and in many cases are personally affected by the crises to which they are responding. MSF’s Psychosocial Care Unit (PSCU) supports approximately 50,000 locally hired staff around the world with 24/7 mental health services.

To make sure we respond to emergencies as quickly as possible, our logistics teams purchase, test, and strategically pre-position our vehicles, communications equipment, power and water-processing supplies, vaccine doses, and other equipment in logistical centers worldwide. This makes it possible for planes to be loaded and flown into crisis areas, regardless of where they are in the world, within 24 hours.

Mobile health clinics are one of our primary methods for reaching remote and displaced communities during and following conflict. These clinics-on-wheels allow us to reach people in need faster, ensuring we can save lives with medical and psychological first aid in the crucial first minutes after disaster strikes.

When local health centers and hospitals are stretched beyond capacity, MSF can bring support. Collaboration with local governments and authorities enables a more rapid response to urgent crises. We work in existing medical centers or set up new structures if needed, treating those affected by conflict and prioritizing those with the greatest needs.