WHO calls for better protection of health workers

Ahead of World Humanitarian Day on Aug. 19, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday called for better protecting health workers as global attacks on health staff and facilities continue.

In 2014 alone, WHO received reports of 372 attacks in 32 countries on health workers, resulting in 603 deaths and 958 injuries, while similar incidents have been recorded this year.

In 2015, hundreds of health workers died in conflict zones and fighting disease outbreaks such as Ebola. For instance, in Yemen five health workers were killed and 14 injured in June. In West Africa, of the 875 health workers infected with Ebola, 509 died.

"WHO is committed to saving lives and reducing suffering in times of crisis. Attacks against health care workers and facilities are flagrant violations of international humanitarian law," said WHO Director General Margaret Chan.

She highlighted health workers have an obligation to treat the sick and injured without discrimination, adding that all parties to conflict must respect that obligation.

Ongoing, repeated and targeted attacks on health facilities have also been increasingly reported. In Yemen alone, 190 health facilities are non-functional and another 183 partly functional as result of the ongoing conflict, including 26 health facilities that have been attacked since May 2015.

Similarly, in Iraq, more than 180 front line health services in 10 governorates have been suspended, leaving millions of refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities without access to health care.

Currently, WHO and its partners require more than 1.7 billion U.S. dollars to support their response operations for more than 60 million people in 32 emergencies. WHO alone requires more than 530 million U.S. dollars, less than 30 percent of which has been received.