Medical Neutrality

Saudi Coalition Airstrikes and the Destruction of Hospitals

Thursday, May 7, 2015
Mere hours after it announced the end of its military campaign, a Saudi-led military coalition resumed aerial bombardment of military targets in Yemen. Since the Saudi-led military forces intervened in the Yemeni conflict, civilian casualties have dramatically increased. Moreover, constant bombings have destroyed hospitals and other civilian facilities, crippling Yemeni infrastructure and preventing health workers from providing medical care. Those health facilities that continue to function in Yemen are under increasing pressure.

Unbiased Health Care Stifled in Bahrain

Thursday, April 30, 2015
The release of Ibrahim al-Demestani, a nurse imprisoned by Bahraini authorities, is the latest chapter in the government’s ongoing campaign against health professionals. While his release should be celebrated, al-Demestani should never have been imprisoned and forced to complete a three-year sentence in the first place. As protests against repressive governments swept across the Middle East and North Africa in 2011, people living in Bahrain launched peaceful protests. The response was unequivocal: the authorities launched a forceful, bloody crackdown against the largely peaceful protesters. A key element of this crackdown was the targeting of health professionals.

History Repeating Itself with Syria?

Sunday, May 10, 2015
Every few months Zaher Sahloul, a Syrian-American who lives near Chicago, asks to meet with me. I welcome him knowing that the meeting will be heartbreaking. Sahloul brings in Chicago-area doctors who have risked their lives crossing the Syrian border to provide medical care to the victims of this four-year conflict. Sahloul, his brave colleagues and so many others in Syria try to bring some humanity and medical care to these devastated areas. But they are struggling against the odds.

Strengthening International Commitment to Protect Doctors, Health Workers, and Hospitals Overseas

Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Last December, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution affirming protection from violence for medical personnel, patients, and health facilities. The resolution reveals the extraordinary challenges of providing care in conflict zones. The Reporter talked with Widney Brown, director of programs at Physicians for Human Rights, about the problem of violence against health workers and the importance of committing to medical neutrality.

Doctors in the Crosshairs: Four Years of Attacks on Health Care in Syria

Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Four years after the start of the civil war in Syria, deliberate and indiscriminate attacks have decimated the ranks of health professionals and devastated the medical infrastructure, exacerbating an acute humanitarian crisis, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said in a report released today. The PHR report and interactive map tracking these violations document the unlawful killing of 610 medical personnel and 233 illegal attacks on 183 medical facilities throughout the country over the past four years.

The Court Dismissed the “ATO case”: Medical Profession for Humanity Is on Duty!

Monday, February 23, 2015
The court case brought by the Turkey government against Ankara Chamber of Medicine (ATO) for extending first aid services to injured persons during Gezi Park protests was dismissed by the court. In the third session of Ankara 23rd Civil Court which was held on 20th of February 2015, the court decided to drop the case after listening to witnesses.

Physician Leaders Warn Governments over Autonomy of Medical Profession

Thursday, February 26, 2015
The World Medical Association and the Standing Committee of European Doctors warned governments around the world against trying to dismantle medical professional self-governing bodies. The warning follows the dismissal of the case brought by the Turkish Government to dismiss the governing bodies of the Ankara Chamber of Medicine.

WMA Calls for Charges against Physicians to Be Dropped

Thursday, February 19, 2015
The World Medical Association has today demanded that all charges be dropped against the Ankara Medical Chamber and has offered its continuing support to Turkish physicians who are facing resumed court action tomorrow (Friday) for providing urgently needed emergency medical care to demonstrators injured during the Gezi Park demonstrations in 2013.

Syrian Doctors: Dr. Nour

Thursday, January 29, 2015
Dr. Nour, a general practitioner, works at a field hospital in Syria near the Turkish-Syrian border. She and the hospital are at constant risk of attack from aerial bombardment and car bombs. Sadly, she has first-hand experience with both. There have been five separate attacks on the field hospital, despite the many military targets in the area. In addition to dangers posed by the regime, Dr. Nour explains that she and her colleagues also worry about the self-declared Islamic State, which has threatened and kidnapped doctors.

'They Told Me They Were Going to Melt Me in Acid If I Continue the Work I Was Doing'

Friday, January 16, 2015
When the Syrian Revolution began back in 2011, Lubna Shaheen became an activist working with the opposition. As the war wore on, and as more and more Syrians became displaced, Shaheen, who didn’t want to be identified by her real name, felt there was a more urgent need. “I had to stop what I was doing as an activist,” she says, “and help the internal displaced people. They needed help.” But Syria became more dangerous by the day. Some of Shaheen’s friends were arrested, tortured and even killed. Shaheen had her own encounter with authority. She was stopped as she was delivering medical supplies from Damascus to Homs.

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