For more than 30 years, Médecins du Monde, a campaigning medical organisation committed to international solidarity, has been caring for the most vulnerable populations at home and abroad. It has continued to highlight obstacles that exist in accessing health care and has secured sustainable improvements in health-for-all policies.
Those working for this independent organisation do not solely dispense care and treatment but condemn violations of human dignity and rights and fight to improve matters for populations living in precarious situations.
MdM currently works in more than 35 countries across all continents where it focuses on 5 priority areas: emergency and crisis, sexual and reproductive health, harm reduction, migrants and displaced populations (health rights), health and environment.
Since 2015, MdM has been supporting Most At-Risk Populations (MARPI) through grants and training. Since 2009, MARPI has been running a health facility located in the Mulago national referral hospital, which provides free and friendly health services to the key populations, including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) people. MdM provided MARPI staff with training on proctology, mostly for screening and treatment of anal warts, while providing basic equipment and consumables. Between 2016 and 2017, MARPI has started expanding their activities to a few regional referral hospitals. MdM wishes to support MARPI in the scaling-up of their activities through possible EU funding.
In July 2017, a fact-finding mission was conducted in the South Sudanese refugee settlement of Bidibidi in the district of Yumbe, West Nile sub-region, northern Uganda, where the French section of MSF has been present since 2016. The fact-finding mission has led to an intervention proposal to progressively take over all the MSF activities at Bolomoni HC III (Health Centre level 3) as well as their outreach activities in Bidibidi refugee settlement. The handover was completed in January 2019. Also, a 3-year intervention with partnership with Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF) aims at reducing mortality and morbidity rates.
It includes :
- The running of all OPD and IPD activities at the Bolomoni HC III based on a broad and comprehensive package including primary health care, surveillance and response to childhood diseases with epidemic potential, sexual and reproductive health, mental health and psychosocial support ;
- The preparation of the progressive handover of the Bolomoni HC III to the health district of Yumbe (by the end of 2021 at the latest) through capacity building of MoH staff, which will make the intervention fit into a long-term approach ;
- A close collaboration with the local population and the empowerment of communities through continued training and support to Village Health Teams (VHT), and the strengthening of female participation and leadership within VHTs and/or other groups ;
- A strong focus on mental health and psychosocial support, while developing a mental health community approach and covering some gaps identified (e.g. detection of cases) ;
- The strengthening of the GBV levels of intervention through covering some identified gaps ;
- A socio-anthropological analysis of community organisation, community coping mechanisms and expression of emotion within the refugee settlements.