The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA)

ALIMA pools the expertise of international aid workers, national medical organizations and global research institutions to provide quality medical care to people in need and carry out cutting-edge research to improve humanitarian medicine. By sharing resources and know-how, ALIMA and its partners are increasing access to care for communities at risk and expanding humanitarian medical response capacity in some of the most challenging contexts in the world. ALIMA works hand-in-hand with a network of local and national medical organizations to provide life-saving care to some of the world’s most neglected communities. By sharing skills, resources and local knowledge, ALIMA gains a deeper understanding of the contexts where they work. This helps improve the acceptance and impact of their programmes. ALIMA’s medical research priorities are determined by the network and benefit further from partnerships with international organizations and academic research institutions. Leaders of ALIMA’s network of local and national medical organizations are also members of ALIMA’s international board of directors. Since its creation in 2009, ALIMA has treated more than 2 million patients, conducted 56 programs in 13 countries and launched ten research projects focusing on malnutrition, malaria, Ebola, and surgery. ALIMA has teams dedicated to acute emergencies and recurring crises. INNOVATION AND RESEARCH Infectious diseases cause 60% of all childhood deaths in Africa, yet they are the subject of only 2% of medical research trials worldwide. Even less research is devoted to improving emergency humanitarian medicine. ALIMA invests in operational and clinical research to improve medical care in humanitarian emergencies, including trauma surgery, nutrition, paediatric care, and Ebola prevention and treatment.