Doctors of the World : Helping people in need at home and abroad

 

Despite being one of the richest countries in the world, the United Kingdom faces extremely high levels of homelessness, much more than it should face. Almost one in 50 Londoners are now homeless. A crisis that has regretfully been building for years,
Whether a person is experiencing street homelessness or is living in temporary shelters, squats, or insecure accommodation, homelessness has a deep impact on physical and mental health.
Homelessness can bee synonymous with loneliness and isolation. Often experiencing homelessness means facing a breakdown of personal and social relationships, and struggling to connect with a social network that can  provide support.
Loneliness has serious negative implications for the health and wellbeing of individuals. Many feel invisible. On top of that people who sleep rough often experience a high level of stigma, physical and verbal abuse. Many people experiencing homelessness will not see a doctor for long periods of time, due to difficulties in registering with a GP, travel distance from the clinic, and fear of stigma. Last year it was found that vulnerable people without a fixed address are being turned away from GP surgeries despite NHS guidelines that say they should receive treatment.
 Doctors of the World, is an independent humanitarian  movement working at home and abroad to empower excluded people to access healthcare. Their  volunteer doctors and nurses provide a first medical assessment, prescribe medicines, dress wounds, and provide advice. Their caseworkers help patients register with a GP, supporting them in building up their trust to access healthcare. They also strive to give a voice to the most marginalised, reporting on violence , injustice and unmet health needs wherever they find them, and campaign to ensure everyone can access the healthcare they need.
Durga Sivasathiaseelan, GP and coordinator, of Doctors of the World's; mobile clinic which opened on 16th October 2019  and runs on a weekly basis and visit predetermined spots across the city where rough sleepers and homeless people can attend. said: “It is incredibly hard for people experiencing homelessness and sleeping rough to access healthcare. And when diseases go untreated, they can worsen dramatically and affect people’s long-term health.
“This is particularly true for those who are experiencing street homelessness or live in unstable accommodation, where their lives can be chaotic, making it more challenging to address health needs.
“Accessing healthcare becomes less of a priority when you are worried about where you are going to sleep and if it will be safe and warm.
“The mobile nature of this clinic will allow us to reach the most vulnerable people in the City in a way that is flexible to their needs.”
Doctors of the World's  London Clinic is at the heart of what they do in the UK.Volunteer doctors, nurses and caseworker provide essential care and support to children, women, and men who have fled conflict and discrimination, or escaped torture, exploitation, and poverty. Many of them now live under the radar, in unstable accommodation, and struggle to survive, often homeless and living below the poverty line.
Helping people in need at home and abroad is central to Doctor's of the World's  ethos. As part of the Médecins du Monde international network, they strive to provide care to the most vulnerable, not only in emergencies abroad but also on our doorstep.They can count on over 3,000 volunteers working in 80 countries around the world,  focusing on conflict and emergencies, harm reduction, maternal and child’s health, and migrants.They work both long and short term, through emergency programmes, support to local healthcare systems, witnessing and advocacy.
The origins of MdM lay with the Médecins Sans Frontières .During the Vietnam War, the future founding members of MdM were approached with the idea of aiding Vietnamese refugees fleeing by ship on the South China Sea. The majority of the Médecins Sans Frontières were against aiding the Vietnamese refugees. However, Kouchner, along with volunteer doctors, journalists, and others organized a hospital boat, L'Île de lumière, to provide medical care and to report the refugees' suffering.
MdM was founded as Bernard Kouchner and 14 others doctors split from the group he previously founded,Médecins Sans Frontières  (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders). It has been reported Kouchner felt that MSF was giving up its founding principle of témoignage ("witnessing"), which refers to aid workers making the atrocities they observe known to the public.
They've since provided essential healthcare to Syrian refugees in the Middle East., and has also worked extensively with refugees in France and Greece, running both static and mobile clinics providing mental health support to refugees, migrants and  strengthening the local healthcare system.
Since opening in 1998, Doctor's of the World have directly helped almost 20,000 people in the UK. Health is a human right.  The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social conditions. The right to health for all people means that everyone should have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them. Doctors of the World depends on generous donations from individuals who believe no one should suffer or die because they cannot access the health services they need. Please consider supporting people who need healthcare.
£32 could pay for prescriptions for two patients
£49 could pay for a week of travel expenses for a volunteer
£160 could contribute towards the training and recruitment of their medical volunteers
£280 could help toward the running costs and medical supplies for their clinic

Donate online: www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/BMJ

Donate by phone: 020 7167 5789