2022 Marks Most Violent Year Against Health Workers in Conflicts: Report

June 05, 2023Anew report published by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) documents 1,989 attacks and threats against health care facilities and personnel across 32 countries and territories in armed conflict and situations of political violence throughout 2022. The reported figure represents the most severe year of attacks against health care in the last decade globally. Over half of all attacks were reported in just two countries, Ukraine and Myanmar. The report identifies more than 750 attacks perpetrated by the Russian Federation on health care in Ukraine alone–the most committed in a single year in one country. " Health workers have been systematically targeted with violence, killed, arrested, and kidnapped. "“Over the last year, we identified a 45% increase in reported incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care in conflict zones as compared to 2021,” said Christina Wille, director of Insecurity Insight, which led the data collection and analysis for the report.“Health workers have been systematically targeted with violence, killed, arrested, and kidnapped while health facilities have been destroyed with explosive weapons and robbed of essential medicine and equipment.” Of these violent incidents, the report identifies: 1,989 total reported incidents of violence against health facilities and health workers704 incidents where health facilities were destroyed or damaged232 health workers killed2...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Policy & Advocacy Health in Conflict Health Workers Source Type: news