MSF receives €3 million from IKEA Foundation to scale up medical relief in India

Per Heggenes calls on like-minded organisations to increase relief support for India

Today, the IKEA Foundation has donated €3 million in unrestricted funding to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The pandemic is causing unprecedented healthcare challenges in India and the donation will help MSF to scale up and continue to provide primary healthcare and distribute medical relief items to the people in India. The IKEA Foundation hope more funders will follow to save lives and meet the urgent health needs of the Indian people.

Stephen Cornish, General Director of MSF Switzerland: “The second wave of COVID-19 in India has been devastating, with a catastrophic rise in the numbers of new infections in recent weeks. MSF has mobilized staff —including doctors, nurses, anesthesia technicians, and psychologists— and is in the process of recruiting and sending additional teams with COVID-19 experience to provide care for people who are affected, including those who require hospitalization and oxygen therapy. One of the ways MSF teams are responding is by caring for patients in two units within a large, 2,000-bed field hospital operated in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.”

“We want to thank the IKEA Foundation for this new unrestricted donation for our projects in India, which allows us to keep offering medical humanitarian care for the most vulnerable people, as well as to ensure the protection of front-line healthcare workers.”

Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation: “In India, where the IKEA Foundation has its roots, we see the horrific impact and the tragedy of the pandemic unfolding every single day. We stand with the people of India and have pledged immediate support so that they can emerge from this crisis. We all need to come together and do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19 and support ongoing life-saving medical activities in India.Today, I call on the world’s governments, businesses and philanthropies to join us and increase the relief support for the people of India.”

The IKEA Foundation has supported MSF for many years with funding of more than €40 million and believes in the incredible work they do in extremely challenging-often dangerous-situations. That is why the IKEA Foundation is granting MSF €3 million in unrestricted funding to provide primary healthcare and distribute medical relief items.

Help the people in India and donate today: https://www.msf.org/donate

About the IKEA Foundation

The IKEA Foundation is funded by INGKA Foundation, owner of the Ingka Group of companies. The IKEA Foundation is independent from the retail business with a sole focus on creating brighter lives on a liveable planet through philanthropy and grant making. Learn more at www.ikeafoundation.org.

Media contact:

Flip Dötsch: flip.dotsch@ikeafoundation.org

About MSF

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) -or Doctors without Borders- is an international, independent medical humanitarian organisation that provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff – bound together by the MSF charter. MSF’s actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality. 

Media contacts:

Etienne L’Hermitte: etienne.lhermitte@geneva.msf.org

Lukas Nef: lukas.nef@geneva.msf.org