The Prince of Asturias Foundation
Médicins sans Frontières
Médicins sans Frontères [Doctors Without Borders] is an international non-governmental organisation founded in 1971 which brings together doctors and members of the health and logistics professions (professionals in different fields) to provide assistance to victims of natural disasters, mass accidents and war situations and to populations living in precarious situations.
It has its origins in an experienced group of doctors, mainly of French nationality, during the Biafran war, at the end of the 1960s. In 1981, it was the first organisation to come to the aid of the victims of the Afghanistan war. Its worldwide fame dates from this time: the speed of MSF’s intervention means that it is often on the scene even before the press. Since then, it has expanded its activity to every continent, with an especially important presence in Africa and Central America.
It now has sections in 19 countries, including Spain. Each section is independent and undertakes its own projects. In 1991, an International Council and a co-ordinating structure (International Secretariat) were established, with headquarters in Brussels. The Presidency of the Council is rotated with six-monthly terms. Fifty percent of the organisation’s resources come from private donations and the other half from public donors, noteworthy among which is the European Community.
The professionalism and effectiveness of MSF’s work is reflected in the prestige which it enjoys with both private donors and its major institutional donors. The European Community systematically calls upon MSF to implement its humanitarian aid all over the world.
In disaster situations such as, for example, the earthquakes in Mexico, El Salvador, Armenia and Iran, the tsunami in Bangladesh, flooding in Bolivia, Peru and Sudan, Hurricane Mitch in Central America, the crisis in Kosovo and East Timor, the tsunami in Southeast Asia, MSF sets in motion what is known as the European Emergency Intervention Unit, in which all the countries involved come to an agreement in order to be able to work together.
Msf organises dispensaries and hospitals, carries out vaccination and contagious disease prevention campaigns, as well as water and waste treatment actions and the training of local personnel. It takes charge of refurbishing local hospitals and training local health workers, so that the system will keep running once the organisation has left. This action is carried out with the co-operation of the local Ministry of Health, but if some conflict or war prevents this collaboration from occurring and a given population is totally lacking in health care, MSF acts, even covertly, by virtue of the right to humanitarian aid. In 2011, MSF had about 3.8 million members and partners around the world.
Medicus Mundi
Medicus Mundi International was founded on 8th December, 1962, in Aachen, at a meeting between doctors and non-governmental associations in charge of Third World projects.
The general aim of this organisation is to promote health, without discrimination of any kind, transcending national frontiers and forming part of community development in those countries where it provides its services. It maintains official relations with the World Health Organization, participating both in technical discussions and the World Health Assembly, to which it regularly sends delegates and speakers.
Made up of seven branches –Medicus Mundi Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Poland and Germany– as well as other affiliated organisations, it works in 28 countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. It is governed by a General Assembly which meets twice a year, taking turns between the different countries. It also has a steering committee that meets periodically. As well as the General Secretariat, each branch has its own secretariat which is in contact with this General Secretariat. The Federation of Medicus Mundi Spain (FAMME) is made up of sixteen local associations. Each association has full autonomy to plan its actions, implement projects and seek the necessary sources of funding.
Whatever its mode of intervention, Medicus Mundi continues to promote primary health care. It accordingly:
- Supports the initiatives of local NGOs in Third World countries which share its goals.
- Joins integrated, long-term, global health programmes and parallel educational programmes.
- Relies on the support of local personnel from the country in question, affording special importance to their training so that they can fully take responsibility of the programmes, while also promotingh the self-financing of projects.
- Always work in line with the country’s health plans.
- Carries out awareness-raising and education-for-development campaigns in addition to lobbying in developed countries.
True to this spirit, the goal of the national branches is to group together doctors, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals, as well as anyone else who wants to join the undertaking of co-operating with the health goals in countries considered as under-developed or as developing countries.
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