Movie:
Living in Emergency – Stories of Doctors Without Borders
Where: Vimeo
About: It’s a documentary that portrays the experiences of healthcare professionals working with Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) in conflict and crisis regions. It sheds light on the difficulties, moral challenges, and emotional strain they encounter while providing critical medical services in hostile and extreme environments. The film highlights the dedication and strength of these medical workers as they work tirelessly to save lives amid chaos, violence, and scarce resources, revealing both their unwavering humanitarian commitment and the tough conditions they face while delivering aid in emergency situations.
Why: It is inspiring to see what motivates these doctors to give up their more comfortable lives to live remote in these extreme environments treating patients who need it most. Doctors who are depicted in the documentary give their honest opinions about what it’s like to work for MSF which gives you a real insight: ‘I could never have imagined what it’s like being the doctor. For some patients I am the first doctor they have seen in 27 years.’ ‘Everything is supersized in perspective to severity.’ ‘The huge responsibility you have suddenly, where you would normally share this with 5 other doctors who know something about their own small area of medicine.’ ‘It’s tremendously frustrating, we have to compensate how we practise medicine. The things that we do, are not as good as they could be.’ If you are paralysed by indecision, you can’t do this job. So you have to be able to live with wrong decisions, and that is really hard to do.’ I’m really convinced that one the reasons why people need to have so much sex when they are on a mission is because they are facing very difficult situations that they are not used to. 5-10 patients are dying every day.
In summary, it’s a must-watch to get a glimpse of what it really means to work for an NGO like MSF.
Book:
Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Doctors Without Borders
About: ‘Hope in Hell’ offers an inside look at the work of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, a global organisation providing medical aid in crisis zones. Dan Bortolotti traces MSF’s founding in 1971 and highlights its mission to deliver urgent care while speaking out against human rights abuses. Rather than portraying MSF volunteers as heroes, the author presents MSF workers as ordinary people driven by compassion and determination. Overall, Hope in Hell provides a powerful and honest portrait of humanitarian work and the courage it takes to bring help and hope to those in desperate need.
Why: The book highlights the challenges of delivering care in war zones, refugee camps, and disaster areas while showing the resilience and compassion required to save lives. It provides valuable insight into global health, medical ethics, and the emotional demands of humanitarian work. In the first chapter, we immediately learn about the important role of MSF. It is about Maternité Solidarité in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and shows you how they were able to move a complete hospital. When the tsunami hit in 2010 they were able to build a 9000-square foot inflatable hospital in only 48 hours. On the other hand, the book openly addresses the possible drawbacks of working for MSF. In one of the last chapters, they highlight the possible dangers: ‘Aid workers are also at risk for malaria, typhoid, even HIV. But these illnesses, along with landmines, plane crashers and stray bullets, are occupational hazards that MSF field workers are prepared to confront. ‘Most MSF field workers are never abducted or physically assaulted, but they all know someone who has been. Many have their own stories about close calls: moments when they thought their number was up.
Returning from a mission to Western society can be highly challenging, as one MSF worker explains, describing the difficulty of dealing with patients who display entitlement and selfishness: ‘You know, your health care is some of the best in the world, and it’s free. So shut up’. These honest accounts from MSF workers are what truly make this book a must-read!
Podcast:
Working for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) with Dr Michael Malley
Where: Spotify & Geeky Medics
About: Dr. Micheal Malley, UK paediatrician, discusses how he became involved with MSF. He did five projects and four missions, starting in Iraq in 2018. He talks about his latest mission in South Sudan, where he spent four months in a rural area dealing with, amongst others, malaria and malnutrition.
Why: The podcast delves into what it’s really like to practise medicine in settings where patients are far sicker and resources are scarce. Through firsthand accounts, you’ll hear about working side by side with experienced local healthcare professionals and the invaluable skills that come from those collaborations. Dr. Malley also shares the emotional adjustment of returning home, moving from the relief of reuniting with loved ones to the shock of an over-abundant society where even butter comes in twenty varieties. Along the way, listeners gain practical insight into the limits of medicine and the complex ethical challenges, including “white saviorism.”
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