In late November 2025, tropical cyclone Senyar caused extreme rainfall in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. In Indonesia, the extreme weather triggered catastrophic flooding across three provinces in Sumatra island: Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra provinces. Official figures report 1,030 deaths, over 200 people still missing, and more than 1,000,000 people displaced in the three provinces.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are responding on the ground in Aceh province in coordination with the Ministry of Health Crisis Centre and local health authority.
Following the assessment in Aceh Tamiang, two teams consisting of a doctor, nurse, midwife, health promoter, and logistician deployed mobile clinics in four sub-districts: Manyak Payed, Rantau, Bendahara and Karang Baru sub-districts. Between 13 to 20 December 2025, the teams have treated almost 600 patients — with upper respiratory tract infection, skin diseases and chronic hypertension as the top three cases. Alongside the mobile clinic team, MSF’s mental health team have also conducted an assessment on psychological needs. The team has conducted four group sessions providing psychological first aid, psychoeducation and psycho-stimulation activities to 36 individuals, while also coordinating with the mental health team in the Tamiang hospital for referrals.
Meanwhile, MSF’s water and sanitation (WatSan) team is responding to urgent cleaning needs at Manyak Payed Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC), which was covered with thick mud following the floods.
MSF is currently assessing options to provide services in hard-to-reach areas along the Tamiang river. An assessment and a few medical consultations were conducted by MSF’s team of doctors in Sekumur village in Sekerak sub-district where road access was cut due to a collapsed bridge, leaving boat travel as the only means of access. Donations of medicines were also done by MSF for the midwives of the village health facility.
