Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Home
Hostname: page-component-ffbbcc459-gmk6f Total loading time: 0.19 Render date: 2022-03-13T19:30:28.050Z Has data issue: true Feature Flags: { "shouldUseShareProductTool": true, "shouldUseHypothesis": true, "isUnsiloEnabled": true, "useRatesEcommerce": false, "useNewApi": true }
  • English
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Prehospital and Disaster Medicine

Article contents

Health Care Workers in Danger Zones: A Special Report on Safety and Security in a Changing Environment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 September 2014

Lynda J. Redwood-Campbell ,
Sharonya N. Sekhar  and
Christine R. Persaud
Lynda J. Redwood-Campbell*
Affiliation:
Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Sharonya N. Sekhar
Affiliation:
Canadian Red Cross, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Christine R. Persaud
Affiliation:
Canadian Red Cross, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
*
Correspondence: Lynda Redwood-Campbell, MD, DTMH, MPH Department of Family Medicine Faculty of Health Sciences McMaster University 175 Longwood Rd. South, Suite 201A Hamilton, Ontario L8P OA1 Canada E-mail redwood@mcmaster.ca
Get access Rights & Permissions[Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction

Violence against humanitarian health care workers and facilities in situations of armed conflict is a serious humanitarian problem. Targeting health care workers and destroying or looting medical facilities directly or indirectly impacts the delivery of emergency and life-saving medical assistance, often at a time when it is most needed.

Problem

Attacks may be intentional or unintentional and can take a range of forms from road blockades and check points which delay or block transport, to the direct targeting of hospitals, attacks against medical personnel, suppliers, patients, and armed entry into health facilities. Lack of access to vital health care services weakens the entire health system and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities, particularly among communities of women, children, the elderly, and the disabled, or anyone else in need of urgent or chronic care. Health care workers, especially local workers, are often the target.

Methods

This report reviews the work being spearheaded by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement on the Health Care in Danger initiative, which aims to strengthen the protections for health care workers and facilities in armed conflicts and ensure safe access for patients. This includes a review of internal reports generated from the expert workshops on a number of topics as well as a number of public sources documenting innovative coping mechanisms adopted by National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The work of other organizations is also briefly examined. This is followed by a review of security mechanisms within the humanitarian sector to ensure the safety and security of health care personnel operating in armed conflicts.

Results

From the existing literature, a number of gaps have been identified with current security frameworks that need to be addressed to improve the safety of health care workers and ensure the protection and access of vulnerable populations requiring assistance. A way forward for policy, research, and practice is proposed for consideration.

Conclusion

While there is work being done to improve conditions for health care personnel and patients, there need to be concerted actions to stigmatize attacks against workers, facilities, and patients to protect the neutrality of the medical mission.

Redwood-CampbellLJ, SekharSN, PersaudCR. Health Care Workers in Danger Zones: A Special Report on Safety and Security in a Changing Environment. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(5):1-5.

Keywords

delivery of carehealth care personnelhumanitarianviolencewar
Type
Special Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 29 , Issue 5 , October 2014 , pp. 503 - 507
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. European Interagency Security Forum and InterAction. NGO Safety and Security Training: How to create effective security training for NGOs. http://reliefweb.int/report/world/ngo-safety-and-security-training-project-how-create-effective-security-training-ngos. Published 2014. Accessed February 25, 2014.Google Scholar
2. ICRC. Health Care in Danger: Making the Case. http://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/publications/icrc-002-4072.pdf. Published 2011. Accessed February 25, 2014.Google Scholar
3. ICRC. Health Care in Danger: The Responsibilities of Health-Care Personnel Working in Armed Conflicts and Other Emergencies. http://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/publications/icrc-icrc-002-4104.pdf. Published 2012. Accessed February 25, 2014:33-35.Google Scholar
4. ICRC. ICRC Report 2012. Violence Incidents Affecting Health Care. http://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/reports/4050-002_violent-incidents-report_en_final.pdf. Published 2013. Accessed February 25, 2014.Google Scholar
5. European Interagency Security Forum. Gender and Security. Guidelines for Mainstreaming Gender in Security Risk Management. http://www.eisf.eu/resources/item/?d=7208. Published 2012. Accessed February 24, 2014. .Google Scholar
6. 31st International Conference 2011: Resolution 5-Health Care in Danger. ICRC Resource Centre Web site. http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/resolution/31-international-conference-resolution-5-2011.htm. Accessed February 25, 2014.Google Scholar
7. Pitt T. Health care in danger: ensuring the safety of health facilities. Ottawa, Canada: ICRC and Canadian Red Cross Background paper for the Expert Workshop on Health Care in Danger; 2013:3.Google Scholar
8. ICRC, Egyptian Red Crescent Society. Health care in danger: security of emergency health care in the field. Report of the Cairo Workshop on Health Care in Danger. Cairo, Egypt: 2012:5.Google Scholar
9. World Medical Association Regulations in Times of Armed Conflict and Other Situations of Violence. World Medical Association Web site. http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/a20/index.html. Accessed February 25, 2014.Google Scholar
10. Protecting Patients & Their Doctors. World Medical Association Web site. http://www.wma.net/en/20activities/20humanrights/20distress/index.html. Accessed February 24, 2014.Google Scholar
11. Humanitarian Health Ethics Web site. http://humanitarianhealthethics.net/. Accessed February 25, 2014.Google Scholar
12. Médecins Sans Frontières. Ensuring the Safety of Health Facilities. Prepared by MSF Canada for the International Committee of the Red Cross Health Care in Danger Conference; Ottawa, Canada: 2013:1.Google Scholar
13. Médecins Sans Frontières. Ensuring the Safety of Health Facilities. Prepared by MSF Canada for the International Committee of the Red Cross Health Care in Danger Conference; Ottawa, Canada: 2013:6.Google Scholar
14. Médecins Sans Frontières. Ensuring the Safety of Health Facilities. Prepared by MSF Canada for the International Committee of the Red Cross Health Care in Danger Conference; Ottawa, Canada: 2013:10-11.Google Scholar
15. Médecins Sans Frontières. Ensuring the Safety of Health Facilities. Prepared by MSF Canada for the International Committee of the Red Cross Health Care in Danger Conference; Ottawa, Canada; 2013:2.Google Scholar
16. Safeguarding Health in Conflict: Protecting Health workers, services and infrastructure. Safeguarding Health in Conflict Web site http://www.safeguardinghealth.org/about-coalition. Accessed February 25, 2014.Google Scholar
17. World Health Organization. Classification and Minimum Standards for Foreign Medical Teams in Sudden Onset Disasters. http://www.who.int/hac/global_health_cluster/fmt_guidelines_september2013.pdf. Published 2012. Accessed February 26, 2014. .Google Scholar
18. ICRC, British Red Cross, Lebanese Red Cross. Principles in Action in Lebanon. http://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/publications/icrc-002-4128.pdf. Published 2012. Accessed February 21, 2014:14-15.Google Scholar
19. ICRC, British Red Cross, Lebanese Red Cross. Principles in Action in Lebanon. http://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/publications/icrc-002-4128.pdf. Published 2012. Accessed February 21, 2014:24.Google Scholar
20. ICRC, Norwegian Red Cross. Health Care in Danger: The role and responsibility of National Societies to deliver safe health care in armed conflict and other emergencies. Report of the Oslo Workshop on Health Care in Danger; Oslo: 2012:28.Google Scholar
21. Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social—República de Colombia. Manual de Misión Médica. http://www.minsalud.gov.co/Documentos%20y%20Publicaciones/Manual%20de%20Misi%C3%B3n%20M%C3%A9dica.pdf. Published 2013. Accessed February 25, 2014.Google Scholar
22. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement deplores the death of another Red Crescent volunteer in Syria. IFRC Web site. http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/opinions-and-positions/opinion-pieces/2014/the-international-red-cross-and-red-crescent-movement-deplores-the-death-of-another-red-crescent-volunteer-in-syria/. Published 2014. Accessed February 25, 2014.Google Scholar
23. ICRC. Health Care in Danger: Making the Case. http://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/publications/icrc-002-4072.pdf. Published 2011. Accessed February 25, 2014:14-15. .Google Scholar
24.Macpherson, R, Burkle, FM. Neglect and failures of human security in humanitarian settings: challenges and recommendations. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(2):174-178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25. The Safe Hospitals Initiative in the World. Pan American Health Organization Newsletter. http://www.paho.org/disasters/newsletter/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=495:the-safe-hospitals-initiative-in-the-world&catid=232:issue-117-april-2012-perspective&Itemid=268&lang=en. Published 2012. Accessed February 24, 2014.Google Scholar
26.Anderson, MB. Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace – Or War. Boulder, Colorado USA: Lynne Rienner Publishers Inc., 1999.Google ScholarPubMed
27.Aitkin, P, Leggat, P, Robertson, A, Harley, H, Speare, R, Leclerq, M. Health and safety aspects of deployment of Australian disaster medical assistance team members; results of a national survey. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2009;7(5):284-290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9
Cited by

Send article to Kindle

To send this article to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about sending to your Kindle. Find out more about sending to your Kindle.

Note you can select to send to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be sent to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Health Care Workers in Danger Zones: A Special Report on Safety and Security in a Changing Environment
Available formats
×

Send article to Dropbox

To send this article to your Dropbox account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your <service> account. Find out more about sending content to Dropbox.

Health Care Workers in Danger Zones: A Special Report on Safety and Security in a Changing Environment
Available formats
×

Send article to Google Drive

To send this article to your Google Drive account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your <service> account. Find out more about sending content to Google Drive.

Health Care Workers in Danger Zones: A Special Report on Safety and Security in a Changing Environment
Available formats
×
×

Reply to: Submit a response

Please enter your response.

Your details

Please enter a valid email address.

Conflicting interests

Do you have any conflicting interests? *