In the Chair: President Jennifer

Members: 14

Guests: Debra-Lee Holman (Guest Speaker), Jan Munro, Annette Wade, Chester (our Project go-to). Lorraine and Melissa from Leeton Hospital.

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Debra-Lee Holman – My Journey with MSF

MSF was officially founded on December 22, 1971. It was established in Paris, France, by a small group of doctors and journalists in the wake of the Nigerian Civil War and Biafran famine. MSF received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

The mission of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is to provide independent, impartial, and neutral medical humanitarian assistance to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters, and healthcare exclusion. 

Core Pillars of the MSF Mission

• Medical Action: Delivering emergency healthcare and life-saving treatments to vulnerable populations based solely on need, without discrimination regarding race, religion, gender, or political affiliation.
• Independence: Remaining strictly independent of any political, economic, or religious powers by relying primarily on private donations.
• Bearing Witness (Témoignage): Speaking out publicly about the abuses, crises, and suffering witnessed on the ground to raise awareness and press for action.
• Medical Ethics: Ensuring that all care is safe, ethical, and respects the dignity and confidentiality of patients. 

Although we often hear of hospitals with MSF staff being bombed due to ‘terrorists using the hospital as a base’, MSF staff will not work in any situation where there are guns. Some statistics on MSF:

Debra-Lee has worked on many MSF projects throughout the World.

1.  An IDP camp on the Afghanistan/Pakistan Border (2003-2004). (IDP refers to an Internally Displaced Person – i.e. a refugee camp). A measles outbreak can be devastating in an IDP camp and Dera-Lee gave an example of a significant measles inoculation program in response to such an outbreak.

2. The Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. Some examples here included plastic surgery on a significant example of cleft palate and e serious example of leprosy.

3. Saclepea, Liberia (2007-2008) where MSF created a new comprehensive Health Care Centre. We were shown an example of a Lassa fever isolation ward and a lot of projects dealing with mental health.

4. Kacheliba in the Rift Valley, Kenya. Debra-Lee spent 6 months establishing the Kala Azar ward. Kala-azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, is a severe, life-threatening parasitic disease spread by infected sand flies. It attacks internal organs—primarily the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. Left untreated, it is almost always fatal. It can be treated but requires daily inoculations with a treatment that is expensive.

5. Cap-Haitien, Haiti.  Treatment of Cholera after the earthquake. It was an example of the importance of logistics in getting equipment to an area as quickly as possible.

6. Democratic People’s Republic of the Congo. An example of operating in a war zone while liaising with both sides.

MSF funding is predominantly from private donors about 7.3 million individual donors (no Government funding to guarantee MSF independence).

Debra-Lee was thanked on behalf of the club by President Jennifer.