IN THE SERVICE OF HUMANITY

YouTube Premiere „Off Kreisky's Living room“

ROBERT MISIK IN CONVERSATION WITH REINHARD DÖRFLINGER

IN THE SERVICE OF HUMANITY
On the 50th anniversary of Médecins Sans Frontières

The aid organisation "Médecins Sans Frontières" turned exactly 50 years old on 22 December. It was founded in 1971 by 12 French doctors and journalists. Today, around 65,000 people are on the road worldwide for "Médecins Sans Frontières", as the organisation is known internationally, to provide first aid in crisis regions, war zones and after natural disasters, but also to provide long-term medical care.

To mark his 50th birthday, Robert Misik invited Reinhard Dörflinger, the long-standing President of Médecins Sans Frontières Austria, into Kreisky's living room. His many years of experience in refugee and development aid have taken him to many conflict areas: His first mission in 1979 in Honduras, where he organised medical care for Nicaraguan refugees, was followed by further missions for political prisoners in Uruguay and for Afghan refugees in Pakistan in 1982. He also evaluated medical projects in West Africa, Romania and Bosnia. His interest in the organisation was sparked when he worked with Médecins Sans Frontières in a camp in Rwanda in 1995. In 2005, Reinhard Dörflinger worked with MSF in a nutrition centre for malnourished children in Zinder, in the south of Niger.

Reinhard Dörflinger has worked in a general medical practice and in the ESRA psychosocial outpatient clinic in Vienna since 1984. He is head of the department for substitution and drug medicine at the Vienna Medical Association.

Reinhard Dörflinger was Chairman of the Board of Médecins Sans Frontières Austria from 2006 to 2016 and is currently a member of the Board as the elected representative of Médecins Sans Frontières Austria in the International Assembly of Médicins Sans Frontières International.

From 2008 to 2011, Dörflinger was Deputy International President of Médecins Sans Frontières. In this role, he visited aid programmes in Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Honduras, Guatemala, Myanmar and Lebanon to discuss current challenges with the teams and share his experiences with the organisation's international board.

Dr Reinhard Dörflinger, General practitioner

Moderation Robert Misik, Author and journalist