The luxuries of medical care are often taken for granted in America, but in third-world countries like Nigeria, proper medical is almost non-existent, causing epidemics with cataclysmic results.
That’s where “Medius Sans Frontieres,” or Doctors Without Borders in the United States, comes in. Former emergency doctor and member of MSF Christopher D. Smith represented the organization to talk about his experiences working to combat the cerebral spinal meningitis (CSM) epidemic in northern Nigeria in the spring of 2009.
According to Smith, he went to help combat the epidemic because he wanted to help save lives and terminate the potentially fatal viral disease.
“I liked working in a country where I could make a difference,” Smith said.
According to Smith, his personal mission was to deliver life-saving medications and treatment to individuals who would have lost their lives otherwise.
“I saved more lives in the three months I spent in Nigeria than I did in my 30 years in America [as a doctor],” he said
The objective of MSF is to provide assistance to populations in distress to victims of natural or man-made disasters, and to victims of armed conflict. The organization, according to Smith, is irrespective of races or political convictions, maintaining a stance of neutrality when aiding countries in conflict.
To make a donation, or sign up as an aid worker for MSF, feel free to visit the organization’s website at www.doctorswithoutborders.org.
