Dear members,
Last year The Heavy Lift Group supported Doctors Without Borders in the fight against COVID-19. They provide emergency medical care in more than 70 countries worldwide and have initiated 250 corona (COVID-19) relief projects. We are happy to have contributed to the Doctors Without Borders COVID-19 Crisis Fund.
Doctors Without Borders is doing everything in its power to fight COVID-19. Their COVID activities are based on the following three principles: prevention, technical support and medical care.
The importance of prevention
Prevention is important to slow the transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and prevent outbreaks. Doctors Without Borders therefore provides training on infection prevention and hygiene measures. They also set up hand-washing points and isolation areas. Furthermore they provide health education in the communities where they work, so that people can protect themselves and to eliminate misinformation about the virus.
Technical support and advice
In addition, Doctors Without Borders provides technical support and advice on how to tackle COVID-19 and infection prevention and control to ministries, local health centers and other aid organizations. They also provide medical support to nursing homes and hospitals in several affected European countries. Claudia Lodesani, emergency aid coordinator for the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Italy, explains that this is an exceptional situation: "Think differently, act differently: a crisis like this requires a completely different approach to medical care. Normally, the focus in hospitals is on the patient. Now, at the time of the coronavirus, it is all about public health. And Doctors Without Borders has experience with that."
Medical assistance
Thirdly, they provide medical assistance in areas where care is inadequate. For example, Doctors Without Borders takes care of patient flows and sets up isolation rooms. They provide care for people with COVID-19 in special treatment centers and provide palliative care to the most affected patients. In addition, their teams provide psychosocial care to COVID-19 patients, their loved ones and the medical staff of local hospitals.
COVID-19 Crisis Fund
Doctors Without Borders is doing its utmost to mitigate the side effects of the crisis and to ensure that other life-saving care continues. In March 2020, Doctors Without Borders created the international COVID-19 Crisis Fund to fund this extra aid during the pandemic. As a result, budget could be used quickly to start up special COVID-19 projects and to adapt existing projects. Currently, thanks to the support of donors worldwide, about three-quarters of the estimated costs for projects related to the coronavirus can be covered. We are very proud that we can help with this. The Heavy Lift Group, Doctors Without Borders and you. We do this together.
With kind regards
ExCom
P.S. Photo caption and copyright
Doctor Emiliano cares for patients in a nursing home in Marche, Italy. Health workers from Doctors Without Borders have been working day and night to protect the people who live here against COVID-19 (April 4, 2020).
© MSF / Vincenzo Livieri