With the influx of refugees, the Italian authorities don't have an adequate reception system to respond to their specific humanitarian needs. In 2015, MSF began search and rescue operations to prevent drownings at sea.
Reception conditions in Italy are in a critical state: the system is plagued by a chronic lack of shelters, emergency management and the lack of global, coherent governance. MSF continues to monitor asylum seekers and refugees' informal settlements and to denounce undignified living conditions and the lack of, or limited access to, medical services.