Humanitarian cooperation

The right to health is part of everyone’s right to humanitarian assistance during a disaster. Issues such as emergency medicine and surgery, epidemic prevention and treatment, access to basic health care services and infrastructure, as well as physical rehabilitation are common features of humanitarian crises caused by natural disasters or conflicts.

In humanitarian contexts, SDC directly implements programmes, particularly where the existing system is unable to deliver the necessary services. Interventions substituting existing systems are thus temporarily justified; the emphasis is then to save as many lives as possible within a short period of time.

Main activities in the sector:

Providing emergency and recovery medical assistance to victims of natural disasters or conflicts
Running temporary health facilities
Rehabilitating or reconstructing damaged health infrastructure
Supporting the physical and mental rehabilitation of victims
Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Treating severe and moderate malnutrition
Preventing or mitigating the impact of health crises
Advocating for access to health services for vulnerable groups.
Providing and reconstructing safe water, sanitation and hygiene services

SDC intervenes with a large diversity of operational mechanisms such as the deployment of medical teams in disaster affected areas, or the provision of material, technical and financial support to non-governmental and multilateral organisations.

The Medical expert group of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit consists of health professionals with experience in epidemiology, war surgery, disaster medicine, public health, microbiology and nutrition. The group undertakes emergency assignments during catastrophes and epidemics, provides instruction and training of national hospital staff, and is engaged in activities aimed at preventing the outbreak of epidemics.