Medical Innovations in Humanitarian Situations: The Work of Médecins Sans Frontières

Medical Innovation in Humanitarian Situations explores how the particular style of humanitarian action practiced by Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has stayed in line with the standards in scientifically advanced countries while also leading to significant improvements in the medical care delivered to people in crisis. Through a series of case studies – from the development of logistical capacities and satellite organizations to adapting innovative treatments for diseases such as cholera, sleeping sickness, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and malnutrition in war-torn or impoverished settings – the authors reflect on how medical aid workers dealt with the incongruity of practicing conventional evidence-based medicine in contexts that require unconventional approaches. These reflections show how humanitarian medicine does not need to be second-rate, and that innovations in medicine are possible in the most unlikely of contexts. Examining medical innovations of the past can offer valuable insights for addressing current global health challenges.