Want to really know what MSF does?

Mock field clinics where people can find out more about how their donations help the aid agency save millions of lives


At first glance, the white tent looked quite bare with a couple of tables, a weighing scale, a nutrition chart, a few boxes and two shelves with some drugs on display. But a closer look proved that it was quite the contrary. The camp in itself held everything needed to handle the most common diseases such as malaria, malnutrition, infectious diseases such as diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, dehydration and more.

Medecins Sans Frontiers, as part of the Dubai City That Cares drive during Ramadan, has organised a tent which is actually a mock MSF outpatient clinic. These clinics are commonly used in early stages of refugee camp installations, natural and man made disasters, and as a response to an outburst of epidemics. They can be set up anywhere in a short time and are useful in poor settings and remote areas where no medical facilities are available.

Quickly set-up

"The good thing about these tents is that they can be functional very quickly, and the quicker you intervene, the more lives you can save," says exhibition organiser, Frederic Nelles, on a visit from France especially to set up this event. Frederic started as a field volunteer with MSF and soon joined as staff. He is an expert in logistics and organising such clinics. "Sometimes people are in a bad condition, dying from various factors. It is the combination of these diseases, that might not be fatal when striking individually, is what proves to be the killer here."

Outpatient clinics like these are set up from ready-made kits, each catering to 1,000 people for a month. They are designed by MSF to provide a quick and effective response in emergencies. "Our team of doctors and helpers are experienced enough to assess the number of people as soon as they reach a calamity stricken area. Based on their review, the supplies are ordered and quickly flown in," said Nelles.

Preventive action

MSF not only provides curative treatment, but also undertakes preventive actions to curb epidemics and help reduce mortality and morbidity rates within a given population. Vaccinations are available for diseases such as measles, meningitis, yellow fever, diphtheria, tetanus, rabies, meningococcal, hepatitis and tuberculosis.

"Measles itself kills almost a million children every year and that can be prevented with simple vaccines," said Nelles. "The vaccines need to be kept at a certain temperature constantly for them to remain effective and we ensure that right from the time it leaves the manufacturer till it reaches the clinic." With a vast array of experts, MSF is able to reduce the number of deaths in disaster situations. During famines, therapeutic feeding centers are installed to heal large numbers of malnourished children. In epidemic situations like cholera, MSF treats patients in isolation and provides education and expertise on sanitation standards.

As I left the tent, it didn't look so bare to me, after all. Each one of those "little things" could save hundreds or even thousands of lives.

The MSF tent

• Venue: Nations Gathering on Al Riqqa Road, Dubai, until today.
Oasis Centre on Sheikh Zayed Road the week after.
• Timing: 7.00pm to 11.00pm
The set-up, however, continues after Ramadan at the MSF office in Dune Centre, Satwa.

A quick tour around the camp shows:
• An examination table that has everything a doctor needs.
• A height-weight and nutrition chart for children.
• High nutrition foods are always within reach.
• Vaccines, stretchers and other paraphernalia are always stocked and within easy reach.
• Details such as disposal of used syringes are taken care of.