The Manchester charity that’s delivering lifesaving care in the world’s toughest conflict zones

When disaster strikes anywhere in the world, few organisations respond as quickly, expertly, or effectively as UK-Med.

Headquartered in Manchester, this humanitarian medical charity has spent the last 30 years bringing lifesaving care to people caught in some of the world’s most devastating conflicts and natural disasters.

From its humble beginnings as a small team of NHS doctors supporting local ambulance services, UK-Med has evolved into a globally recognised leader in emergency medical relief.

It stands out as the only UK-based charity verified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an Emergency Medical Team (EMT), ready to deploy at a moment’s notice to bring critical medical care where it is needed most.

What does UK-MED do?

For Lizzi Marmont, Senior Operations Manager at UK-Med, the drive to deliver healthcare in some of the world’s most perilous regions stems from deeply personal experiences.

Her journey began in 2014 while working as a nurse at Leeds General Infirmary.

“UK-Med put out a call for NHS staff to volunteer in Sierra Leone during the Ebola epidemic,” she recalled.

“I joined the first team and spent six weeks there. That experience completely changed my perspective on what healthcare can achieve in a humanitarian crisis.”

Lizzi’s time on the front lines left a profound mark on her.

“I was drawn in by the enormity of the need and the tangible impact we were making. Whether it was saving lives or alleviating suffering, I knew I wanted to continue this work.”

Since then, she has been part of UK-Med missions in more than 25 countries, including war-torn Ukraine and Gaza.

She notes that each deployment presents unique challenges. “No two days are ever the same,” she explained.

“You wake up early—sometimes to the sound of shelling—and you have to be ready for anything. Whether it’s establishing a field hospital in a conflict zone or responding to a mass casualty event, the unpredictability is constant.”

Life in conflict zones

Lizzi’s role as a team lead involves managing the operational side of UK-Med’s deployments, making sure the right people and the right equipment are in place to deliver lifesaving care.

“We work as a team, and that’s what makes everything possible,” she said.

“We’re not just medical professionals; we’re also working with drivers, logisticians, and local staff, who are all essential to the mission.”

One of the most recent and challenging deployments for Lizzi and her team has been in Gaza, where UK-Med has been working amid escalating violence.

“A typical day in Gaza starts before dawn,” she said.

“We’d be woken up by the sounds of shells or artillery, so it’s an early start.

“At the time, we were staying in a guest house, but that became unsafe due to heavy artillery fire, so we ended up moving into a field hospital.”

Working in Gaza, with its volatile security situation and overwhelming need for medical care, requires resilience and adaptability.

“It’s not just about dealing with the immediate medical emergencies,” Lizzi explained.

“There are mass casualty incidents almost daily, and people are constantly being displaced, moving around with no real place to go.

“You see people living in tents, former professionals now baking bread by the roadside to survive.”

Despite the chaos, UK-Med remains focused on its mission.

“Even in the middle of all this devastation, we’re still delivering high-quality medical care,” said Lizzi.

“That’s what keeps us going—the knowledge that we’re making a difference, even if it’s just in one person’s life.”

Building a global team

The work UK-Med does wouldn’t be possible without the diverse and dedicated team of individuals who volunteer to help.

“The people I work with are absolutely the reason I go to work every day,” Lizzi said.

“We’re a really multicultural team, with people from all over the world. In Ukraine, for example, we’ve got staff from Australia, sub-Saharan Africa, and of course local Ukrainian staff.”

This international cooperation is not just a logistical necessity—it’s also essential to building trust in the communities they serve.

“Local staff are key to breaking down barriers.

“They help us communicate with people in their own languages and understand the local context. In places like Ukraine or Gaza, where we’re working in active conflict zones, it’s critical that the local community accepts us. It can even be a matter of security.”

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, UK-Med has played a crucial role in providing medical support near the frontlines.

“We were one of the first organisations on the ground after the full-scale invasion,” Lizzi recalled.

“We’ve delivered over 20,000 medical consultations, providing both physical and mental healthcare to people affected by the war.”

The evolving crisis in Gaza

In Gaza, UK-Med is grappling with an even more complex and urgent humanitarian crisis.

Following the surge of violence in October 2023, the charity launched its largest-ever response, setting up two field hospitals and treating over 140,000 patients in just a few months.

“The scale of the need is unimaginable.

“We’ve got over a million people constantly on the move, trying to survive in a zone that shifts and changes daily.”

Conditions on the ground in Gaza are dire, with severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies. “The people in Gaza are going through absolute devastation,” Marmont explains. “Whole cities have been flattened, there’s no infrastructure left, and people are just trying to stay alive. Even with all the challenges we face in getting supplies and staff where they need to be, it’s nothing compared to what the people there are enduring.”

Despite the enormity of the challenges, UK-Med’s teams remain motivated. “For me, it’s the critical need that keeps me going,” says Lizzi. “When you know that your presence is literally the difference between life and death for people, there’s no room to feel hopeless.”

Looking to the future

As UK-Med celebrates its 30th anniversary, the organisation’s focus is on continuing to meet the growing global demand for emergency medical care. Climate change, armed conflicts, and disease outbreaks mean the charity’s services are more in demand than ever. “We’ve never been more needed,” Marmont notes. “We’re constantly being called on to provide services to internally displaced people, whether it’s due to floods, war, or other crises.”

The challenge, as Marmont puts it, is making sure UK-Med can maintain its high standards of care while responding rapidly to crises around the world. “We need to be able to get a hospital out somewhere in 48 hours,” she says. “That requires an incredible amount of coordination, resources, and people.”

UK-Med is committed to staying at the forefront of humanitarian healthcare for as long as the need exists. “The work we do wouldn’t be possible without the support of people here in Manchester and across the UK,” says Marmont. “It’s great that I Love Manchester is highlighting this, because even though we’re a global organisation, our roots are very much in Manchester. We’re part of this community.”

How to donate to UK-Med

As the world faces increasingly complex challenges, UK-Med’s mission remains clear: to provide lifesaving medical care to those who need it most, wherever they are.

And with dedicated professionals like Lizzi Marmont leading the way, UK-Med will continue to provide hope for people caught in the world’s darkest moments.

To find out more about their work, or to support their lifesaving efforts, visit UK-Med’s website by clicking here