ICRC seek protection of medics in conflict zones

On Monday, an expert symposium will take place in London entitled Healthcare in Danger. The event will be with the support of the British Medical Association, the World Medical Association and the British Red Cross. The ICRC's health adviser to the campaign, Robin Coupland said: "The objective is to assure the security and delivery of effective and impartial healthcare in armed conflicts and other emergencies". He added that: “this is not a new problem. We're becoming increasingly aware of it because of the modern kinds of conflict we are seeing in North Africa and the Middle East. Insurgents stop ambulances and armed men go into hospitals in search of people. Healthcare becomes involved in the tactics." A study involving 16 countries, carried out  by the ICRC, identified 655 attacks on healthcare staff or facilities over a two and a half year period.  Experts argue that these affect not only the treatment of wounded fighters but the healthcare of civilian men, women and children. Coupland cites the bombing of a medical graduation ceremony in 2009 in Mogadishu which killed 14 medical students, three doctors and the dean of the medical school as an example. Threats to healthcare staff and the dangers they face are among the main reasons why the world has not yet been able to completely eradicate polio. It is only endemic in three countries, but one of the biggest problems is treating children on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The World Health Organisation estimates that 400,000 children there are being denied vaccination. It should be noted that there were 76 polio cases in Afghanistan last year, which is three times the previous year's toll. Jessica Barry, who works with ICRC in Kabul, says pressure on large hospitals in Afghanistan, such as Mirwais in Kandahar, is made worse by the absence of care in rural areas, forcing patients to travel long distances to the city. "In rural areas where there is fighting or insecurity, local clinics may be functioning partly but not fully," she said. "Midwives may not be able to get to the clinics. Doctors and nurses are too scared to face going out on the roads to get to the clinics." There have been incidents of medical staff being kidnapped or forced to treat insurgents and of clinics being forced made to hide weapons or fighters, or even being taken over as a base for gunmen. Coupland says there is much that governments and organisations can do to safeguard healthcare, even during a war. "If there are active hostilities and bombardments, it is quite clear commanders have a duty to know where the healthcare facilities are so that they are not affected," he said. "There should be procedures and training in how to operate a checkpoint to fast-track ambulances. It only takes five to 10 minutes to check for explosives and you don't need to put dogs in the back to run over patients."