Nurse Israa Hussein works with a Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) mobile clinic team to provide lifesaving care to migrants and refugees outside of Beirut.

Israa is no stranger to complex illnesses: she has spent the past three years caring for elderly patients with noncommunicable diseases in Ain al Helweh camp, Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp. Unlike the conditions she usually treats, COVID-19 is highly infectious and can spread rapidly in close quarters.

Israa and her team have travelled throughout the suburbs of Beirut providing medical check-ups, taking testing samples, and conducting health promotion activities.

In addition to clinical care, Israa has also served as a vital source of mental health support to families struggling to find adequate medical care amidst the pandemic.

When a young boy she treated was frightened by her personal protective equipment, Israa made him feel at ease by explaining what PPE does. She showed the child pictures of herself so he would know who was behind the mask.

Yahya, 41, lives in a Syrian refugee camp in Bar Elias with his 11 children. Yahya was once a patient at the MSF Bar Elias Hospital

Israa’s story is just one of thousands that exemplify the commitment of MSF staff as they continue to provide lifesaving medical care to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.

Read on to meet more nurses and midwives leading vital efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thank you,

Doctors Without Borders

P.S. The work of Israa, and MSF teams on the ground in over 70 countries, is only possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters like you, Friend. If this story inspired you, please consider giving a gift to MSF to help nurses like Israa keep working with the communities and patients they serve.