Médicos Sem Fronteiras Portugal - MSF

What Médicos Sem Fronteiras Portugal - MSF does

Médicos Sem Fronteiras Portugal (MSF PT Associação) is the Portuguese national section of the international Médecins Sans Frontières humanitarian medical movement, headquartered in Lisbon with 38 employees. Founded in 1971 at the international level and registered in Portugal as a non-profit association, it provides independent, neutral, and impartial medical-humanitarian assistance to populations affected by armed conflicts, epidemics, natural disasters, malnutrition, and exclusion from healthcare access, operating field projects in more than 70 countries.

The organization's core operational capability rests on a standardized emergency response architecture developed since 1980: pre-packaged, context-adapted kits containing medications, materials, and equipment; permanent material reserves; inflatable hospitals; and trained medical/logistics teams capable of mobilizing within 48-72 hours. Selected programs use advanced technologies such as AI-assisted X-ray interpretation for tuberculosis case finding (deployed in Manila starting 2022) and 3D-printed prosthetics and burn scar masks (used in Gaza, where approximately 85 percent of patients in that project are children). Search and rescue operations in the central Mediterranean are conducted via partnerships with SOS MEDITERRANEE (Ocean Viking vessel) and Sea-Watch (Sea-Watch 4).

MSF Portugal is funded entirely by private donations and generates no commercial revenue. Revenue streams include individual donations, IRS tax designation (Consignação de IRS), corporate partnerships, legacies and bequests, and fines/contraordenações payments. The organization does not disclose financial figures on its website. There is no parent company, no subsidiaries, no public ticker, and no traditional investors; the Portuguese section operates as part of the global MSF federation while governed by its own board.

Name

Médicos Sem Fronteiras Portugal - MSF

Legal name

MSF PT Associação

Website

https://msf.org.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MSF Portugal is the Portuguese section of the international Médecins Sans Frontières movement, providing independent medical-humanitarian assistance to crisis-affected populations in more than 70 countries, funded entirely by private donations from individuals and companies in Portugal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Medical Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Medical Care & Field Hospitals (BPADADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE), Logistics, Supply Chain & Humanitarian Air/Sea/Land Transport (BPADADAF), Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

Keywords

• Humanitarian medical aid
• Emergency medical response
• Epidemic disease treatment
• Humanitarian crisis relief
• Medical humanitarian services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: MSF depends entirely on private donations to deliver medical-humanitarian assistance to those who need it most. Donations can be made through the website and various fundraising initiatives.
2. IRS Tax Designation (Consignação de IRS): Individuals can designate a portion of their IRS (income tax) to MSF Portugal through the Portuguese tax system, providing recurring public support.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Companies can partner with MSF through various programs, with the organization emphasizing that together they can do even more for humanitarian causes.
4. Legacies and Bequests: Individuals can include MSF in their testaments as a charitable legacy, contributing to the organization's long-term funding.
5. Fines and Administrative Penalties: Individuals can pay fines and administrative penalties to MSF Portugal as an alternative to government channels.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Médicos Sem Fronteiras Portugal provides medical humanitarian assistance to populations affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters, epidemics, malnutrition, and exclusion from healthcare. The organization operates field medical projects across more than 70 countries, deploying emergency response kits and inflatable hospitals within 48 to 72 hours of crisis identification. Services span emergency surgery, epidemic response, maternal and child health, mental health care, and search and rescue operations for migrants at sea.

Product overview

Médicos Sem Fronteiras Portugal is a humanitarian medical organization that provides emergency medical assistance to populations affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters, epidemics, malnutrition, and exclusion from healthcare access. The organization operates in more than 70 countries. MSF's core offering consists of field medical projects including emergency trauma care, epidemic response, vaccination campaigns, tuberculosis and hepatitis C treatment, mental health services, and search and rescue operations. They utilize standardized emergency medical kits and deploy professional medical and logistics teams. This is not a technology product company; all offerings are humanitarian medical services delivered through field operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Medical Response
• Tuberculosis Treatment Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 94.9% hepatitis C cure rate among patients who completed treatment (5,000+ treated)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SOS MEDITERRANEEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020MSF partnered with SOS MEDITERRANEE to operate the Ocean Viking vessel for search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea. Teams aboard provided medical assistance to people rescued from unseaworthy boats, treating patients for respiratory infections, hypothermia, dehydration, and other conditions resulting from dangerous sea crossings.
• Sea-WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020MSF relaunched operations in August 2020 with new partner Sea-Watch aboard the Sea-Watch 4 vessel. MSF administered the clinic until September when the ship became the fifth humanitarian rescue vessel detained by Italian authorities during the year.
• Aids Care China (ACC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSF supported Aids Care China (ACC), a Chinese NGO conducting high-quality HIV/AIDS care through private clinics. From October 2011, MSF supported a clinic near the Myanmar border in Yunnan province. In September 2013, MSF began providing technical assistance to improve clinical management of people living with HIV/AIDS, demonstrating that a new comprehensive care model could generate better treatment outcomes.
• Chinese Red CrosscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSF worked in collaboration with the Chinese Red Cross and local authorities to distribute emergency supplies and assess needs of earthquake survivors in Sichuan province following the 2008 earthquake.
• Papua New Guinea National Health SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSF collaborates with Papua New Guinea's national TB program to improve screening, prevention, diagnosis, treatment initiation, and follow-up at Gerehu Hospital in Port Moresby and Kerema in Gulf Province. Also supports COVID-19 response including technical assistance for facility construction.
• National Department of Health (Papua New Guinea)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSF provided technical assistance to the National Department of Health for construction of a dedicated COVID-19 treatment unit in Port Moresby, supporting the laboratory with rapid testing that reduced response time to under one hour.
• Missionaries of Charity (Philippines)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSF collaborated with the Missionaries of Charity congregation in Tondo, Manila to provide food packages to people in home isolation during COVID-19 pandemic who could not work and needed assistance.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Partners In Health: Delivers healthcare in resource-limited settings with strong focus on infectious diseases (HIV, TB, Ebola) and health system strengthening. Comparable for disease treatment programs and commitment to serving excluded populations.
• International Medical Corps: Delivers emergency medical services and trauma care in conflict and disaster settings worldwide. Comparable as a medical-focused humanitarian NGO with similar field-hospital, primary care, and emergency response offerings.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): The world's largest humanitarian organization operating in conflict zones with independent, neutral medical and protection mandates. Overlaps directly with MSF on field medical care, prisoner/detainee welfare, and emergency response in armed conflicts.
• Direct Relief: Provides emergency medical assistance and pharmaceuticals to underserved populations in over 80 countries. Comparable as a medical-aid-focused humanitarian organization with similar disease treatment and emergency response programs.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (International Movement): The international MSF movement of which MSF Portugal is a national section. Operates the same medical-humanitarian model across 70+ countries, with shared branding, principles, and operational coordination. Most directly comparable as the parent entity governing Portugal's section.

Broad incumbents

• CARE International: Major humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and providing emergency relief, food security, and health programming in crisis-affected areas. Comparable for emergency relief operations and global geographic reach, though broader in scope beyond medical care.
• Save the Children: International NGO operating in 120+ countries on child-focused humanitarian and development programs including emergency health, nutrition, and maternal care. Comparable for emergency health response and global footprint with significant pediatric and maternal health overlap.
• Mercy Corps: Global humanitarian organization working in conflict zones and disaster-affected areas on emergency response, food security, and health. Comparable for emergency humanitarian operations and multi-country footprint, though broader in mission beyond medical specialization.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): Global umbrella network of 191 national Red Cross/Red Crescent societies delivering disaster response, health, and humanitarian assistance. Comparable as a similarly structured federated humanitarian network with overlapping emergency response and community health programs.

Others

• OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs): UN-mandated body coordinating international humanitarian response across crises. Comparable as an institutional actor operating in the same humanitarian ecosystem where MSF provides field medical care, though OCHA functions as a coordinator rather than direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/msf_portugal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7ElaaRrxp0NV4fyhiJtl9Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/MedicosSemFronteirasPortugal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/medicos-sem-fronteiras-portugal-msf
• Instagraminstagram.com/msf_portugal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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