Conflict

Attempted Kidnapping: Two Female Polio Workers Saved by Locals

Thursday, May 1, 2014
BANNU: Unidentified armed men attempted to kidnap two female polio workers in Howaid area of Bannu on Wednesday before letting them go with a warning. The workers were let go after the mediation of locals but with the warning that they would be killed if seen vaccinating children in the area again. An official of the Howaid police station, Fidaullah Wazir, said Taj Bibi and Gohar Taj complained to the police that they were immunising children in Mamakhel when three armed men approached them.

Call for Blog Posts on Health Systems of Conflict-Affected States

Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Organizers of the Third Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (Cape Town, September 30 – October 3) are launching a blog to explore the theme of people-centered health systems. The health systems of fragile and conflict-affected states is one of the focus areas, along with health systems research, policy and implementation issues, research methodologies, teaching health systems, universal health coverage, medicines in health systems, human resources for health, and the translation of evidence into action.

UN Condemns Murder of Foreign Health Workers in Kabul

Saturday, April 26, 2014
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemns the killing of three civilians by a gunman at a private hospital in Kabul. UNAMA following a statement said, all three slain were foreigners who selflessly helped people of Afghanistan in need of medical assistance. The gunman is reported to be a security officer and the motive behind the attack is unknown and no organization has claimed responsibility.

Rebel Attack in Central African Republic Kills at Least 22

Sunday, April 27, 2014
At least 22 people, including 15 local chiefs and three members of staff of the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, were killed in an attack on Nanga Boguila, a town about 280 miles north of the capital Bangui, officials said on Sunday. Some 2,000 French and over 5,000 African peacekeepers are struggling to halt waves of violence that have gripped the country over the last 18 months. Gilles Xavier Nguembassa, a former member of parliament for the area, said four people were killed as the assailants approached the town but most died when Seleka rebels went to an Doctors Without Borders-run health clinic in search of money.

Health Workers Murdered as Pakistan Vaccinates

Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Despite an army of police, vaccination workers in Pakistan are still being murdered in the midst of a public health initiative aimed at vaccinating 8.4 million children in one province against polio and several other diseases in just three months. The Health for All vaccination program, which runs Feb. 2 through April, is targets indigenous wild poliovirus, which is still endemic in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. Of the three countries, only Pakistan is seeing an increase in cases. In January 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, “the world's largest reservoir of endemic poliovirus.”

Midwives Heed Call to Save Mothers

Wednesday, April 16, 2014
JUBA, South Sudan – Armed with a broad smile, Jennifer Ikokole ushers expectant mothers into a makeshift tent at the sprawling Tomping civilian protection camp in South Sudan’s capital, Juba. As the current crisis takes its toll on the population, the tent serves both as a maternity ward and a maternal and child health clinic. Ms. Ikokole, 49, started working as a midwife 24 years ago in her native country of Uganda. When she joined UNFPA’s midwifery programme in South Sudan two years ago, she knew her work was cut out for her.

A Woman of Courage: Malian Community Mobilizer Honored for Helping Women Access Health Care in Conflict

Thursday, April 17, 2014
Last month, First Lady Michelle Obama bestowed one of ten International Women of Courage Awards to Fatimata Touré for her daring work to help women during the brutal occupation of Gao, Mali, in 2012 and 2013. She is head of the Women’s Action, Research, Study, and Training Group (GREFFA) and the leader of the Regional Forum on Reconciliation and Peace in Gao.

Myanmar: Humanitarian Lifeline Cut Following Violence against Aid Agencies in Rakhine

Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Hundreds of thousands of people are finding it difficult to access basic services such as health care following the emergency relocation of up to 300 aid workers from Myanmar’s Rakhine State. More than 1,000 humanitarian staff have been forced to stop working following an outbreak of violence in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, on 26 and 27 March.

South Africa: Experts Recommend Ways of Making Health Facilities More Secure

Thursday, April 10, 2014
Pretoria/Geneva (ICRC) – Community acceptance, provision of impartial treatment and psychosocial support for medical staff working under stress can all play key roles in making health-care facilities more secure amid armed conflict or other emergencies. These are some of the recommendations that emerged from a workshop that took place in Pretoria, South Africa, this week as part of the “Health Care in Danger” project on the dangers facing health-care services.

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