IN CONVERSATION WITH MSF’S GABRIEL PENDELTON BY JACK GROVE
JG: How would you summarise the main goals of MSF? Do you believe that they stay true to the initial goals of the organisation’s founding?
GP: MSF brings medical care to people affected by conflict, disasters, epidemics, and social exclusion, irrespective of race, religion, gender, or political affiliation. I do believe that MSF stays true to the initial goals set forth when the organisation was founded. Their aim was to establish an independent organisation that focused on delivering emergency medical humanitarian aid quickly, effectively, and impartially; and I believe we do just that, even over 50 years later.
JG: What has been a recent program that MSF has carried out that you are most proud of?
GP: One of our recent programs that I am most proud of is our work to reduce dengue, focusing on a study in Honduras. We are working alongside the World Mosquito Program to breed and release mosquitoes that are passing wolbachia, a benign bacteria that nearly prevents mosquitoes from transmitting dengue to humans. The program shows MSF’s ability to work with other international organizations as well as local organizations and communities, which really is a strength of ours. I’m proud of this work because I studied environmental science in college, and this kind of study has been interesting to me. At the same time, if we can help prevent or reduce outbreaks from occurring, it allows us to spend more resources elsewhere and help other patients.
JG: How has MSF changed its practices to not only focus on healing physical injuries but also to improve the mental health of their patients?
GP: We now have great practices in place for how to provide mental health care to people who are experiencing trauma. We know that almost anyone will experience psychological distress in the aftermath of an emergency or traumatic event. And, that receiving timely and proper support can reduce a person’s recovery time from a traumatic event. We are now equipped to train any of our staff to be able to provide psychological first aid, which really serves as a tool to establish contact with the patient, making it clear that they are seen, heard, and understood. Allowing patients the space to talk through their emotions helps them recover both mentally and physically. This also allows us to identify what patients need more psychosocial intervention and help them recover sooner.
JG: What are some of the challenges that come with being an independent, neutral organisation? How do you ensure as an organisation that you remain impartial?
GP: I think that being independent and neutral only bring advantages to MSF. Because we remain independent, neutral, and impartial, it allows us greater access to communities that need us. The governments where we are working, or the local organizations we are working with, know that we are free of bias and agenda. To remain impartial, it is important that any statement we make is politically neutral and focuses solely on our patients and our work. The challenge here is, we report on what we are seeing, and 10 people could have their own ways of interpreting what we write, based on their own biases.
JG: What is the best way for members of the public to help your work? Is there anything the student population at St Andrews can do?
GP: The best way for a member of the public to support MSF is to donate! Whether you make a one-time gift today, make a pledge to donate monthly, or start a fundraiser to encourage others to support us. Outside of making donations, the students of St Andrews can support MSF by sharing us on social media and staying current with recent news. We’ ve seen how generous people around the world can be, so even if you can’ t donate, sharing an article on our life-saving work could inspire someone else to donate instead. And being educated on recent events makes you a better advocate for our patients, from Gaza to Sudan, and from Haiti to Ukraine. There are also volunteer opportunities where you can donate your time and talents to support a variety of our teams.
