In the face of persistent violence against hospitals, medical personnel and patients, 3 years ago the UN Security Council adopted a resolution reaffirming long-held norms of respecting and protecting health care in conflict and calling for concrete steps on prevention and accountability.

Since then, governments have continually declared that such attacks are unacceptable, but their conduct shows instead that the attacks have become accepted. Today, France and Germany are holding a special session of the UN Security Council to press governments to end their passivity in the face of this violence. The session includes representatives of  civil society, and I am pleased to be able to speak to the Security Council as chair of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, a group of 40 health provider, humanitarian and human rights organizations and academic centers.

A forthcoming report by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition will show that in 2018 there were more than 950 attacks on health facilities and personnel in 23 countries, killing more than 150 health workers and injuring more than 700. Syria again had the dubious distinction of having the most attacks against hospitals, with more than 100 aerial and surface-to-surface strikes against hospitals, most by regime and Russian forces. During the government’s final assault on Eastern Ghouta—one of the heaviest bombardments of the war—Syrian and allied forces hit 4 hospitals on the same day (February 19) and days later hit 4 more.

…continue reading ‘Overdue Action Needed to Stop Attacks on Health Care’ by Len Rubenstein

Thumb Image via Global Health Now: Abdulnasser Seddek/Anadolu Agency/Getty

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