Six months after the Asia Tsunami Disaster

Within days of the 26 December 2004 disaster, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams began working alongside national efforts to provide assistance to individuals in need of medical care, food, clean water, shelter and other basic necessities. The majority of MSF’s work focused on hard-hit communities in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, though staff provided assistance to people in Thailand and India too. Initial exploratory teams assessed needs in Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Somalia as well, but did not find any serious unmet medical needs.

Today, MSF has reoriented its work in Indonesia and has closed its tsunami-related programs in other countries except India. 93 international staff and over 650 national staff continue to work in tsunami-affected areas in Indonesia (89 international, 637 national staff) and India (4 international, 29 national staff). As an emergency medical organization, MSF believes it is not within its remit to engage in long-term development programs or large-scale rehabilitation and reconstruction which are still required in many places.

MSF continues to support people affected by the tsunami in Indonesia and India, mainly by providing psychosocial care. At the same time MSF is looking to help Acehnese communities, who, as a result of the ongoing conflict, have little or no access to basic quality care... » Read more