Editor’s Note: This is the first installment in our new fortnightly series highlighting organisations where doctors are driving social change beyond clinical practice.
As doctors, we’re trained to treat the body, calm the mind and perhaps, comfort the soul, but what happens when healing extends beyond the hospital or clinic walls? Around the world, and across Australia, doctors are stepping up as advocates, organisers and changemakers, using their skills and credibility to tackle everything from health inequity in First Nations communities to climate resilience, refugee health and mental health reform. These clinicians are showing us what it means to wield our medical training for wider social impact. But advocacy isn’t just for “other” doctors – it’s for all of us.
In this fortnightly series, we’ll spotlight organisations that are led by or involve doctors who are rewriting the playbook on what it means to care. Whether you’re in a remote town or a major city, on Country or in Canberra, we invite you to discover pathways to engagement that align with your values and skills.
Each profile will share concrete ways to support these organisations, get involved directly, or simply stay informed. Your contribution — whether time, expertise, or awareness — might create ripple effects of healing across communities, the nation, even across the globe!
“More of us medical women need to stand up, show up, and lead the way in making change. Our firsthand experience with healthcare gaps position us to be particularly effective changemakers” – Dr. Brenda Masters, President, AFMW
What better way to start off this series than with the pre-eminent medical humanitarian organisation – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): Medicine Without Boundaries
Origins and Mission
Founded in 1971 by doctors and journalists responding to the crisis in Biafra (now within Nigeria), MSF operates on principles that should resonate with every medical professional: independence, impartiality and neutrality in delivering humanitarian aid. The organisation’s commitment to bearing witness and speaking truth to power earned it the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.
Current Operations
While MSF may be best known for emergency response to armed conflicts, epidemics and disasters, its work encompasses much more. The organisation also conducts longer-term projects addressing gaps in healthcare systems across 70+ countries, including:
- Maternal and child health programs
- Nutrition interventions
- Infectious disease treatment and prevention
- Management of chronic diseases
- Mental health services
Recent Emergency Responses
MSF’s current humanitarian aid responses include the earthquake in Myanmar, the war in Gaza, and the war in Sudan. In these settings, MSF medical professionals aren’t just treating injuries, they’re addressing complex health emergencies including:
- Acute malnutrition
- Trauma care
- Outbreaks of preventable diseases
- Maternal and child health emergencies
- Care for survivors of sexual violence
Advocacy Priorities
“The goal of humanitarianism isn’t to stop the conflict, it’s to find humanity inside that conflict; and more and more what we’re seeing is a lack of that humanity.” – Jennifer Tierney, Executive Director, MSF Australia
MSF does not just treat patients, it advocates uncompromisingly for a strong humanitarian response by the international community in areas of conflict. Current priorities include:
- Adherence to international humanitarian law
- Protection of civilians, especially women and children (who are disproportionately harmed) and healthcare workers (who are increasingly being harmed) in conflict zones
- Unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid
The Australian Connection
MSF Australia was founded in 1994, followed by MSF New Zealand in 2017. Each year, approximately 200 Australian and New Zealand professionals travel to MSF projects worldwide, including surgeons, anaesthetists, emergency physicians, paediatricians, psychiatrists, and GPs.
Dr. Adelene Hilbig, an emergency physician from Melbourne who has worked in Sierra Leone, Palestine and Myanmar, notes:
“Clinically, there is a transferability for emergency medicine in terms of a combination of medical skills and leadership and management skills. It’s very two-way. I learn skills here that are very useful on assignment, and I learn skills on assignment that are very useful here.”
MSF Australia specifically advocates for:
- Significant climate action, including transitioning to renewable energy and supporting communities most affected by climate-related crises
- Border policies and health-related solutions that address climate- or conflict-induced forced displacement and migration of asylum seekers and refugees
- Investment towards increasing foreign aid and strengthening Australia’s role in accountability against International Humanitarian Law violations
What Can I Do?
There are several meaningful ways to engage with MSF, regardless of your career stage or availability:
- Join the team – MSF seeks doctors across specialties such as emergency medicine, anaesthesia, surgery, paediatrics and psychiatry.
- Advocate for policy change – Write to your MP supporting MSF’s national priorities.
- Sample talking point: “As a medical professional and your constituent, I urge you to support MSF’s national priorities. These include …”
- Amplify their message – Follow and engage with MSF’s channels on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X.
- Stay informed – Subscribe to the MSF newsletter
- Raise awareness – Request an MSF speaker for your next medical event or hospital grand rounds [https://msf.org.au/request-speaker]
- Support financially – Donate, consider a gift in your will, or organise a fundraiser
Your Reflection:
What aspect of your medical training or experience might be particularly valuable in a humanitarian context?
How might engagement with organisations like MSF enhance your clinical practice?
[photo credit: MSF Australia]
Dr Madhura Naidu is an Intensive Care Registrar and trainee with the College of Intensive Care Medicine with over a decade of multidisciplinary clinical experience spanning ICU, anaesthesia, surgery and palliative care. She brings a comprehensive clinical skillset and a systems-based perspective to critical care, grounded in evidence-based, compassionate and patient-centred practice.
She is particularly passionate about the strategic integration of AI and digital health in medicine as tools to streamline workflows, empower clinicians, and improve patient outcomes in real-world settings.
Beyond the bedside, Madhura is an intersectional feminist and long-time advocate for gender equity and clinician wellbeing. She currently serves as Vice-President of the Australian Federation of Medical Women (AFMW) — the only national organisation exclusively representing the women and non-binary medical workforce — following a three-year tenure as President of the Victorian Medical Women’s Society.
A lifelong learner, Madhura is driven by adaptability, innovation, and building efficient, future-focused solutions across clinical, organisational and digital health settings.
