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''Médecins du monde'' (MdM; ), or Doctors of the World, is an international humanitarian organization which provides emergency and long-term medical care to the world's most vulnerable people. It also advocates to end health inequities. It was founded in 1980 by a group of 15 French physicians, including
Bernard Kouchner Bernard Kouchner Order of the British Empire, KBE (born 1 November 1939) is a French politician and doctor. He is the co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Médecins du Monde. From 2007 until 2010, he was the French Minister of Fo ...
and Alina Margolis-Edelman (a native of Poland). MdM is active in over 80 countries with approximately 400 programs in both the developed and developing world.


History

MdM was formally established on 1 February 1980. Its goals were "to go where others will not, to testify to the intolerable, and to volunteer". The origins of MdM lay with
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF; pronounced ), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is a humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation (NGO) or charity of French origin known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases. M ...
. During the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietna ...
, the future founding members of MdM were approached with the idea of aiding Vietnamese refugees fleeing by ship on the South China Sea. The majority of the Médecins Sans Frontières were against aiding the Vietnamese refugees. However, Kouchner, along with volunteer doctors, journalists, and others organized a hospital boat, L'Île de lumière ("The Island of Light"), to provide medical care and to report the refugees' suffering. MdM was founded by Bernard Kouchner and 14 others doctors split from the group he previously founded, Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders). It has been reported Kouchner felt that MSF was giving up its founding principle of ''témoignage'' ("witnessing"), which refers to aid workers making the atrocities they observe known to the public. Kouchner was president of MdM from 1980 to 1982. In 1989, the foundation of MdM Spain paved the way for the creation of the MdM international network. In 2015, the MdM global network consisted of fifteen associations; France (founded 1980), Spain (founded 1989), Greece (founded 1990), Italy and Switzerland (both founded 1993), Sweden (founded 1994),
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
(founded 1995 by Elena Theoharous),
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
(founded 1998), Belgium, Canada and Portugal (all founded 1999), as well as in Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, the Netherlands, and the USA.


Doctors of the World USA

Doctors of the World USA, also known as MdM USA, was founded in 1990 by Jonathan Mann. The group ultimately separated from the MdM network in 2006, and became HealthRight International. Doctors of the World USA is the 15th chapter of the MDM network. It was re-founded by committed humanitarian activists in 2011, with Dr Abby Stoddard as its founding chair. Fraser Mooney, a long-term AIDS and social justice activist, became the organization's Executive Director in 2016.


Doctors of the World UK

In 1998, Doctors of the World UK became a registered charity in England and Wales and initially only contributed to Médecins du Monde international work. It launched its UK Programme in 2006, when they opened a clinic in
Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By ...
, in east London. The clinic provides information and medical assistance to people who face barriers to access mainstream health services, such as undocumented migrants, asylum seekers and the homeless. In 2018, a successful campaign #StopSharing, contributed to the data sharing memorandum of understanding between
NHS Digital NHS Digital is the trading name of the Health and Social Care Information Centre, which is the national provider of information, data and IT systems for commissioners, analysts and clinicians in health and social care in England, particularly th ...
and the Home Office, which had been signed as part of the Home Office hostile environment policy,. After the
Western African Ebola virus epidemic The 2013–2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease, centered in Western Africa, was the most widespread outbreak of the disease in history. It caused major loss of life and socioeconomic disruption in the region, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and ...
in 2014, it helped run a treatment centre in Moyamba, Sierra Leone. DOTW UK volunteer Professor Chris Bulstrode was awarded a CBE for his involvement in the Ebola crisis. It is currently providing healthcare for refugees and migrants in several countries in Europe, including Greece and Croatia, and Ukraine. Drs.
Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), ...
and Xand van Tulleken, who present the CBBC series ''
Operation Ouch! ''Operation Ouch!'' is a British comedy children's television series on the human body, showing what happens in A&E, what doctors sometimes have problems with and experiments. The first series of ''Operation Ouch!'' aired on CBBC in October 2012 ...
'', were Board Members of DOTW UK until 2018.


Operations

MdM programs focus on four priority areas: Conflict and Crisis, Harm Reduction, Maternal and Child Health, and Migrant Populations. MdM operates in both the developed and developing world, aiding in treatment of refugees, reducing harm long-term, fighting sexually-transmitted diseases, and promoting sexual health and mental wellness. In 2018, Doctors of the World (MdM) provided care in 79 countries with over 300 programs in North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.


Finances

In 2018, the Doctors of the World international network had a budget of some 250 million euros, and provided services to more than 6.5 million people worldwide. It allocated 78.5% of its budget to programs.15.5% to fundraising, and 6% to operating expenses. The organization is analyzed regularly by an independent committee to examine the operations of MdM and the allocation of their finances. In depth audits of MdM are done by the French government and
Deloitte Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...
.


Surveillance by British and American intelligence agencies revealed

In December 2013, documents released by
National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collect ...
whistle blower
Edward Snowden Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American and naturalized Russian former computer intelligence consultant who leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, when he was an employee and su ...
revealed that British and American intelligence agencies had been carrying on secret surveillance of several humanitarian organizations including Médecins du Monde. Leigh Daynes, Executive Director of Doctors of the World UK said that he was "bewildered by these extraordinary allegations of secret surveillance. Our doctors, nurses and midwives are not a threat to national security. There is absolutely no reason for our operations to be secretly monitored." Other humanitarian organizations targeted include the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
Development Programme, the children's charity
UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
, and the head of the
Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of , and in ...
.


See also

* Couverture maladie universelle (CMU) * GlobalMedic *
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF; pronounced ), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is a humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation (NGO) or charity of French origin known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases. M ...


References


External links


Doctors of the World USA

Doctors of the World UK
{{DEFAULTSORT:Medecins Du Monde International medical and health organizations International charities Health charities in France Organizations established in 1980 1980 establishments in France