“South Korea is a country leading in the biomedical field, including vaccines, treatments, diagnostics, and medical devices. Doctors Without Borders wants to collaborate with South Korea for the research and development of medicines for people in difficult environments.”
On the 7th, Christos Christou, the international president, met at the South Korea office of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Seocho District, Seoul, and said, “I want to find ways with South Korea to promote exchanges with various universities and enhance new drug research and development to help those in need of medicines.”
Doctors Without Borders is a humanitarian medical organization established in 1971, with over 47,000 aid workers providing medical assistance in more than 500 locations in 70 countries affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters, and more. For this contribution, they received the Seoul Peace Prize in 1996 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.
Christou, who is from Greece, worked as an emergency and trauma surgeon at Evangelismos Hospital in Athens and King's College Hospital in the United Kingdom. He joined Doctors Without Borders as an activist in 2002, starting support for refugees and migrants in Greece and expanding medical activities in conflict areas such as South Sudan, Iraq, and Cameroon, before taking office as international president in June 2019.
Currently, the areas of greatest concern for Doctors Without Borders are the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, devastated by the Israel-Hamas war, as well as Yemen, Haiti, Ethiopia, and Cameroon, where wars and civil wars are ongoing. Christou noted, “The majority of people suffering from waterborne diseases such as gastroenteritis, diarrhea, malaria, and cholera are being impacted by contaminated water and are unable to receive basic medical services. Even if they walk for days to reach a hospital, they encounter situations where there is a shortage or lack of medicines, making adequate treatment difficult.”
The most needed medicines are vaccines for disease prevention. Doctors Without Borders administers vaccinations against measles, meningitis, yellow fever, cholera, and more to millions of people every year, but there is a shortage of vaccines and personnel to vaccinate all local residents. To ensure essential medicines can be obtained even in poor medical environments, Doctors Without Borders launched the 'Access Campaign' in 1999. This initiative aims to persuade and promote pharmaceutical companies and governments to provide vital medicines at affordable prices in not only conflict areas but also in middle- and low-income countries.
Recently, there has been an urgent need for treatments for infectious diseases and medical devices for diagnosing diseases. Christou said, “Nowadays, due to viral mutations, antibiotics are not effective, and suitable treatments are needed, but these are also in short supply. Diagnostic equipment such as X-rays and ultrasound that can diagnose diseases are unimaginable, and diagnostic kits that can be provided to many people easily and quickly are necessary.”
Doctors Without Borders is currently communicating with SD BIOSENSOR, a domestic diagnostic device manufacturer, to develop diagnostic tools for neglected tropical diseases. Neglected diseases refer to malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS, dengue fever, and others that primarily occur in underdeveloped countries or conflict areas. This term was coined because pharmaceutical companies shy away from developing new drugs due to the low expected revenue.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 20 diseases primarily occurring in tropical regions as neglected tropical diseases. Doctors Without Borders established the non-profit organization Drug for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) in 2003, together with several research institutions, including the Pasteur Institute in France.
Christou requested South Korea's active participation in the activities of Doctors Without Borders. South Korea has participated in Doctors Without Borders' aid activities since 2004, but by 2023, the number of participants was limited to 75. As of 2023, out of 4,160 international aid workers, only 12 are South Korean, accounting for just 4% of all Asian aid workers.
One reason for the low number of South Korean aid workers is the travel ban system. The South Korean government designates specific countries as travel-restricted areas under Article 17 of the Passport Act, and visiting these areas can result in imprisonment for up to one year or fines of up to 10 million won. Currently, 19 regions, including Gaza Strip, Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen, and Afghanistan, which urgently require humanitarian support, fall under the travel ban set by our government.
Even if it is a travel-restricted area, visits may be permitted for purposes such as residency, reporting, or official duties, as recognized by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, although private organizations are not included. On the 6th, Christou met with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik and requested an exception to the travel ban law for private organizations. He said, “South Korean aid workers are skilled individuals with diverse professional backgrounds, including finance and logistics experts, and they have received a very high level of education. Their humanitarian support activities should be further encouraged.”
Doctors Without Borders also expressed high interest in medical support for North Korea. In the past, it supported tuberculosis treatment in North Korea, but activities were suspended due to the closure of borders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Christou stated that they are monitoring the situation to resume medical support activities once the North Korean border reopens.