Cairo (ICRC) – Today, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Egyptian Red Crescent, in cooperation with Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population, held a conference for around 100 practitioners, experts and government officials to raise awareness of the serious implications of violence against health-care workers and facilities and to promote respect and protection for health services working in conflict or other emergency situations.
In many parts of the world where armed conflicts and other emergencies take place, people who need medical attention do not have access to it because health-care personnel and facilities are the target of violence. The immediate impact is evident: patients are deprived of the care they need, and medical staff are prevented from providing their services. The long-term impact is equally critical. Violence against people providing or receiving health care results all too often in the departure of medical personnel, or in the destruction or closure of health facilities, and therefore in the disruption of the entire health-care system.
"The Egyptian Red Crescent is proud to hold this conference. This is the second event to be held in Cairo on the safety and security of health services as part of the 'Health Care in Danger' project, an International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement initiative led by the ICRC," said Dr Moamena Kamel, secretary-general of the Egyptian Red Crescent. "I am sure that the shared experience of various sectors within the interdisciplinary system working in Egypt will enrich the discussions and contribute to the collective global effort to improve the safety of health-care delivery."
Full article continues at: https://www.icrc.org/en/document/egypt-experts-gather-tackle-violence-against-health-care-workers-and-facilities#.VJhH314AAE