Have attacks on healthcare become the new normal? a public health call to action for armed conflicts before it is too late
Abstract The scale of attacks on healthcare has become more visible and its impact greater in recent armed conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar. In these conflicts, combatants systematically target health facilities and ambulances. We need to ensure that attacks on healthcare do not become the ne...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Conflict and Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-023-00555-4 |
| _version_ | 1797274450880626688 |
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| author | Karl Blanchet Leonard Rubenstein Bertrand Taithe Larissa Fast |
| author_facet | Karl Blanchet Leonard Rubenstein Bertrand Taithe Larissa Fast |
| author_sort | Karl Blanchet |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The scale of attacks on healthcare has become more visible and its impact greater in recent armed conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar. In these conflicts, combatants systematically target health facilities and ambulances. We need to ensure that attacks on healthcare do not become the new norm amongst governmental troops and non-State armed groups. There is limited evidence about why and how attacks on healthcare have become “normal” practice amongst many combatants, despite the likely tactical and strategic costs to themselves. We are convinced that the problem now needs to be tackled like any other public health issue by assessing: the scale of the problem; who is the most at risk; identifying risk factors; developing new interventions to prevent the risks or address the issue; and evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:58:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8231791e9d94442289c51979340e32fe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1752-1505 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:58:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conflict and Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-8231791e9d94442289c51979340e32fe2024-03-05T19:18:17ZengBMCConflict and Health1752-15052023-12-011711310.1186/s13031-023-00555-4Have attacks on healthcare become the new normal? a public health call to action for armed conflicts before it is too lateKarl Blanchet0Leonard Rubenstein1Bertrand Taithe2Larissa Fast3Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies, Faculty of Medicine, University of GenevaJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthHumanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, University of ManchesterHumanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, University of ManchesterAbstract The scale of attacks on healthcare has become more visible and its impact greater in recent armed conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar. In these conflicts, combatants systematically target health facilities and ambulances. We need to ensure that attacks on healthcare do not become the new norm amongst governmental troops and non-State armed groups. There is limited evidence about why and how attacks on healthcare have become “normal” practice amongst many combatants, despite the likely tactical and strategic costs to themselves. We are convinced that the problem now needs to be tackled like any other public health issue by assessing: the scale of the problem; who is the most at risk; identifying risk factors; developing new interventions to prevent the risks or address the issue; and evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-023-00555-4AttacksThreatViolenceWarConflictInternational humanitarian law |
| spellingShingle | Karl Blanchet Leonard Rubenstein Bertrand Taithe Larissa Fast Have attacks on healthcare become the new normal? a public health call to action for armed conflicts before it is too late Conflict and Health Attacks Threat Violence War Conflict International humanitarian law |
| title | Have attacks on healthcare become the new normal? a public health call to action for armed conflicts before it is too late |
| title_full | Have attacks on healthcare become the new normal? a public health call to action for armed conflicts before it is too late |
| title_fullStr | Have attacks on healthcare become the new normal? a public health call to action for armed conflicts before it is too late |
| title_full_unstemmed | Have attacks on healthcare become the new normal? a public health call to action for armed conflicts before it is too late |
| title_short | Have attacks on healthcare become the new normal? a public health call to action for armed conflicts before it is too late |
| title_sort | have attacks on healthcare become the new normal a public health call to action for armed conflicts before it is too late |
| topic | Attacks Threat Violence War Conflict International humanitarian law |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-023-00555-4 |
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