Hospitals and Health Workers are #NotATarget

Dr. Fowsa, 31, inside the pediatric ward at a Save the Children supported hospital in Wajir, Kenya. Photo: Esther Mbabazi / Save the Children.

Hospitals and healthcare facilities are sanctuaries of healing, places where people seek refuge from illness, injury, and suffering.  

Health workers dedicate their lives to alleviate suffering and save lives. Their work transcends political, social, and economic boundaries, focusing solely on preserving life and promoting health and well-being of others.  

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Health workers are bound by the principles of humanity, impartiality and neutrality. They treat patients based on medical needs, regardless of their background or affiliation, ensuring medical care is accessible to everyone, fostering a sense of humanity even in the midst of conflict. 

Hospitals and healthcare facilities enable health workers to save lives, making them indispensable during times of crisis.  

When conflict arises, these institutions and individuals become even more crucial, serving as beacons of hope amidst the chaos. 

According to the World Health Organisation, there are 136 million workers in the healthcare sector globally, approximately 70% of whom are women. All these workers have the right to a safe environment to carry out their work, including protection of their health and safety.  

Yet hundreds of healthcare workers and facilities around the world are increasingly becoming unintended or intended casualties of violence. 

Doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, paramedics and other emergency workers, selflessly trying to save lives under challenging circumstances, are becoming targets themselves.  

This year so far, there have been over 1,700 attacks on healthcare facilities and health workers, resulting in 342 medical staff being killed, 218 injured, and 121 kidnapped, as well as 421 health facilities damaged.

This significant increase in attacks on health facilities and health workers is both alarming and distressing, and if current trends continue, there will be over 3,000 incidents reported by 2025 – a six-fold increase in just five years.

*denotes projected totals; 2023 data is for the year to date at time of publishing.

Targeting health facilities not only violates international humanitarian law but also undermines the very essence of humanity, resulting in severe consequences for local communities. 

In conflict zones, the impact on health systems is already devastating, resulting in an increased demand for lifesaving care, while routine services and medical supplies are frequently disrupted. 

Attacks on hospitals inevitably result in the loss of innocent lives, including patients, medical staff, and even bystanders. This loss of life is particularly tragic as it occurs in settings where healing and protection should be paramount. 

Targeting health facilities exacerbates humanitarian crises and the suffering of those already affected by conflict. It hampers the ability of communities to access essential medical care, leading to increased preventable deaths and worsens the long-term health outcomes of affected communities.