Violence against health care must end

 

Violence against patients and health-care workers is one of the most crucial yet overlooked humanitarian issues today. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement runs a global campaign aiming to improve security and delivery of impartial and efficient health care in armed conflict and other emergencies.

THE PROBLEM : Discrimination

Lack of impartiality in health-care provision can be a major issue in conflicts and other emergencies. In some cases, weapon bearers seek to deny treatment to their wounded enemies or put pressure on health-care workers forcing them to act against medical ethics. Medical personnel themselves can act with a lack of impartiality while caring for the wounded and sick from a different ethnic group or political standpoint.

Choices and dilemmas – health-care workers on the frontline: an online discussion

Online discussion that took place on 21 January 2013. In the context of the Health Care in Danger campaign and on the occasion of the launch of a unique guide for health-care workers, three experts respond to questions on the responsibilities of medical staff in armed conflict or other emergencies.