Who are we?

The fundamentals of
Médecins du Monde.

The fundamentals of Médecins du Monde Canada are our DNA and our reason for being.

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Two ways to reach us

Par téléphone

Lundi · 17h – 20h

Rendez-vous pour le mercredi suivant

En personne

Jeudi · 9h30 – 12h

Consultation le jour même, places limitées

6235 rue Saint-Hubert, Montréal

MdM Network

The international network of Médecins du Monde.

Founded in 1980, Médecins du Monde is a volunteer-based, independent, and international movement that operates at the local and global levels. It comprises 17 delegations. In total, the Médecins du Monde network is present in over 70 countries through some 450 programs.

The Canadian delegation of Médecins du Monde was founded in 1996.

NETWORK MEMBERS

Médecins du Monde advocates for equal access to care for everyone, whatever their status.

Mission and vision

Ensure and defend access to Health for disenfranchised and vulnerable people, both here and around the world.

OUR MISSION

Médecins du Monde is a volunteer-based, independent, and international movement that operates in its own country and elsewhere. Through innovative health programs and evidence-based advocacy actions, we empower marginalized individuals and communities to take action and claim their right to health, while fighting for universal access to care.

OUR VISION

A world where barriers to accessing health have been overcome; a world where health is recognized as a fundamental right.

Médecins du Monde advocates for equal access to care for everyone, regardless of status. See the page Our Campaigns

Our values

The values of Médecins du Monde

An organization’s values are the fundamental principles and guiding beliefs that shape its culture, guide daily behaviors, and inform decision-making.

As members of a global movement of volunteers and employees, we provide medical services and bear witness. Through our diversity, we support excluded individuals in ways that drive social change.

We believe that the communities we serve are agents of change in their health journey. In partnership with them, we seek to support them so they can take action and exercise their rights.

We believe that everyone should have access to health care, well-being, justice, and opportunities, regardless of their legal, political, economic, or other status. We believe that social justice is a driver of equal access to health care, respect for fundamental rights, and solidarity.

We place people at the heart of our actions and care. In the face of injustice, violence, and health inequalities, we affirm our commitment to defending life, health, well-being, and fundamental rights.

We are independent of authorities as well as political, religious, and financial interests. We are free to choose our programs and ways of operating. We reject any form of subordination and encourage dialogue with the people and communities we work with.

We seek a balance between our national and international actions, between our emergency and long-term programs, between medical knowledge and lay knowledge, and between public funding and private donations.

Principles of action

Key areas of intervention for the right to health

The principles of action are interdependent: the expertise we develop in one area helps inform our actions in others to amplify our impact.

Providing care

Provide and facilitate access to adapted local comprehensive health services

Support social change

Promote social and institutional changes in support of the Right to health for all

Bear witness and advocate

Defend the rights of the individuals and communities concerned

Approach

l'organisation's comprehensive approach

At Médecins du Monde Canada, our operational approach is based on our shared values and consists of three key concepts that guide our daily actions and interactions with our colleagues, partners, collaborators, and the individuals affected by our interventions.

We promote the complementarity of our actions with the available services in the community, with the goal of non-substitution. Médecins du Monde Canada never acts alone but is part of a collective movement for social justice in the field of Health, in collaboration with members of the international Médecins du Monde network and alongside individuals, communities, and committed institutions.
Our work truly makes sense through collaboration aimed at advancing rights and social justice in Health.
Reflexivity is fundamental in our organization. It involves adopting a humble stance and fostering a capacity for self-criticism within our teams and across our various action contexts. It also relies on active listening to the people we work with, whether they are our colleagues, partners, or communities.

Support our vision of care. Make a donation

The fundamentals of Médecins du Monde.