Attacks on health facilities and staff must not become the norm

The violent upheaval tearing Khartoum apart has forced many Sudanese people to flee for safety. The war’s impact on the capital’s healthcare system has made it even more urgent for many families to leave.

Attacks on medical facilities in Khartoum in 2023 led to a shortage of drugs throughout the capital, which meant that many chronically ill Sudanese could no longer find the medicines they needed.

This is the reality for millions in vital need of healthcare not just in Sudan but elsewhere in the world as well.

In Gaza, multiple attacks on hospitals have killed and injured hundreds, including health workers and displaced people seeking refuge in what were thought to be safe havens.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) city of Goma, doctors and nurses have been murdered while trying to care for displaced people. In Ukraine, the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital was targeted in an air raid, killing one doctor and one hospital worker and injuring 16 people, including seven children. In Pakistan, a bomb killed police officers deployed to protect polio vaccination workers.

As the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), I have repeatedly condemned such attacks and called for the protection and respect of health workers in humanitarian settings and beyond.

Yet, my calls, and those of our humanitarian partners in the field and around the world, have gone unheard, despite health facilities, their staff, patients and other civilians being protected under international law during conflicts.

In 2023 alone, WHO recorded 1,520 attacks on healthcare, resulting in the deaths of at least 750 patients and health workers, and 1,250 injuries. So far this year, more than 700 attacks have also taken place. Dire as these numbers are, they likely underestimate the true scale of the problem.

While one attack is too many, some places have experienced alarmingly high numbers of attacks in short periods. In Gaza, more than 500 medical personnel have been killed since the conflict began last October. In addition, at least 287 aid workers have lost their lives, including many colleagues from UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, and at least one member of our WHO family, Dima Alhaj.

In Gaza, like in Ukraine, Sudan, the DRC, Haiti and beyond, those who fall leave behind grieving families and communities. Parties to conflicts are failing humanitarian and health workers and the people they serve.

Even in responding to clear threats to public health, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, humanitarian and health workers faced fatal attacks, physical threats and psychological intimidation on an unprecedented scale.

On August 19, when we mark World Humanitarian Day, we must confront the intensifying attacks on aid workers and attempts to normalise them. On this day, I reiterate my condemnation of all forms of violence, threats and attacks against humanitarians, including health workers. I also join fellow UN and humanitarian leaders in calling on all countries to take collective responsibility and action to ensure full protection for humanitarian workers. We must provide humanitarian heroes the protected space they need to save lives.

More than ever, World Humanitarian Day reminds us of the essence of our work: protecting everyone, everywhere, at any time, regardless of how difficult the situation is.

Even a single attack on the only hospital serving a population can have devastating, long-lasting consequences on healthcare delivery for entire communities in the immediate term, and for years to come. Health facilities provide more than care – in many communities, they offer refuge and contribute to collective welfare.

The WHO Constitution states, “The health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security and is dependent on the fullest co-operation of individuals and States.”

WHO knows all too well the immense value of our colleagues who work in humanitarian settings, and the pain felt when we lose them needlessly to armed violence. Their dedication is a testament to the impact humanitarian action can have on millions of lives. By safeguarding humanitarians, we uphold the principles of compassion and solidarity and reaffirm our commitment to a more humane world.