Health care in danger: a sixteen-country study
10-08-2011 Report
Health care is frequently suspended, withdrawn or rendered impossible by violent events. Thousands of wounded and sick people can be denied effective health care when hospitals are damaged by explosive weapons or forcibly entered by fighters, when ambulances are hijacked and when health-care personnel are threatened, kidnapped, injured or killed.
This study is based on an analysis of reports collected over a two and-a-half year period describing 655 violent incidents affecting health care in 16 countries where the ICRC is operational. The reports were obtained from humanitarian agencies, including the ICRC, and from open sources such as the media and websites. Standard software applied to a statistical model for analysing reports of such events was used.
This study is available exclusively online (PDF format) and in English only.