Medical ethics
We act in the best interests of patients, protect confidentiality, respect personal decisions and seek to provide the highest quality of care possible.
About MSF
Who we are
We are an international, independent medical humanitarian organisation providing care to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters and exclusion from healthcare.
Our identity
We are Médecins Sans Frontières.
Médecins Sans Frontières—Doctors Without Borders—is an international, independent medical humanitarian organisation.
We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or exclusion from healthcare. Our teams unite professionals in medicine, logistics, administration, communications and skilled trades around one purpose: helping people according to need.
Founded in Paris in 1971 by doctors and journalists, MSF is now a worldwide, self-governed movement of more than 67,000 people.
Independent actionMedical care guided by need, ethics and humanity.
What guides us
Principles made practical.
Our Charter provides the foundation for how we work and how we make difficult decisions in complex humanitarian settings.
Impartiality
Assistance is offered according to medical need, irrespective of race, religion, gender, creed or political conviction.
Independence
We maintain independence from political, economic and religious powers so that our choices remain focused on patients and communities.
Neutrality
We do not take sides in armed conflicts. This enables teams to seek access to people who need care across front lines and divisions.
Bearing witness
When medical care alone is not enough, we may speak publicly about suffering, neglect and obstacles preventing people from receiving assistance.
Accountability
We examine our successes and failures, report openly on our work and finances, and keep improving the quality and effectiveness of care.
Care first
Our actions are guided by medical ethics.
Our work is first and foremost medical.
We aim to provide the best quality of care possible wherever we work—and always to act in the best interests of people and patients. When medical assistance alone is not enough, teams may also provide shelter, water and sanitation, food or other essential support.
People’s medical needs outweigh political boundaries.
A global movement
Many professions. One humanitarian mission.
160+
Nationalities represented
Our strength lies in diverse teams—from healthcare workers to logisticians and administrative specialists—working together across projects and offices.
Quality without compromise
We work to provide high-quality services and advocate for effective, affordable medicines and diagnostics.
A more inclusive movement
We are building a global workforce that better reflects the communities, experience and diversity within MSF.
Our history
Born from a refusal to stay silent.
MSF was founded in December 1971 in France by doctors and journalists following war and famine. Their ambition was to create an independent organisation capable of delivering emergency medical aid quickly, effectively and impartially.
From an initial group of 300 volunteers, the movement grew while holding onto a defining belief: everyone should have access to healthcare, and humanitarian action must remain free to reach people wherever the need is greatest.
