Malteser Hospitaldienst Austria, MHDA#
Malteser Hospitaldienst Austria MHDA (Auxiliary Service of the Order of Malta), voluntary organization providing help for the sick and mentally ill, part of the grand priory of Austria of the Sovereign and Military Knights of Malta; members of this organization provide first aid in case of accidents, run an ambulance service and attend public events to provide first aid. According to the long-standing traditions of the order, workers are taken on an exclusively honorary basis to care for the mentally ill and sick and organize pilgrimages for mentally handicapped people to Lourdes and Rome. In addition, the Austrian Auxiliary Service itself or the Emergency Corps of the Order of Malta send members to disaster areas all over the globe (e.g. earthquake sites in Italy and Montenegro, to provide relief for refugees in the Balkan states, Africa and Kurdistan).