Medical Neutrality

Bahrain's Medics Politicised by Crisis

Saturday, May 4, 2013

A group of Bahraini health workers have found themselves on the frontlines of a battle over medical neutrality as the aftershocks of the Arab Spring continue to rumble through the Gulf island kingdom. In theory, medical neutrality is a simple concept: physicians must be allowed to care for the sick and wounded; soldiers must receive care regardless of their political affiliations; and all parties must refrain from attacking and misusing medical facilities, transport, and personnel.

Documenting Bahrain's Attacks on Health

Friday, November 23, 2012

In Bahrain, health workers have been drawn into the conflict that began in February 2011 when protesters called for reform and the government responded with violence. By treating wounded civilians, frontline health workers witnessed the effects of the government crackdown—and quickly became targets themselves. One health worker recently told news outlet RT of her experience. “As a punishment for not obeying the authorities to abandon these patients, all the doctors who were involved in treating these patients, they were arrested. Myself personally, I was abducted from my house at 3 am in the morning, and I was badly mistreated… I was tortured. Later on, after being jailed for almost two months, I was prosecuted, tried in a military court and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment,” said Dr. Nada Dhaif.

Remarks by Dr. Nils Daulaire at the Congressional Briefing on Medical Neutrality, March 7, 2012

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Good Afternoon. Thank you so much Congressman McDermott for bringing the three of us here this afternoon to discuss the necessity of keeping health care workers safe while they work in dangerous situations. This is an issue which is extremely important to the Obama Administration. It is being addressed in various ways by a number of departments, and I would like to give you a short update how we, the US government are engaging on this issue overseas.

Statement of Leonard S. Rubenstein, Senior Scholar, Johns Hopkins University, at the Congressional Briefing on Medical Neutrality, March 7, 2012

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Thank you, Congressman McDermott. My name is Leonard Rubenstein. I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts based on work in this field for more than 15 years. I am a Senior Scholar at the Center for Public Health and Human Rights at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a member of the faculty at the Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins. I am making this statement in my own capacity, not on behalf of Johns Hopkins University.

Bioethicist Calls on Congress to Protect Physicians in War Zones

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Greater leadership is needed from the U.S. government to protect physicians and health facilities from increased attacks in armed conflict zones like Syria, experts told members of Congress in a special briefing today. “Adherence to norms won’t take place unless it becomes a diplomatic priority, with the U.S. and other states using their considerable leverage to demand adherence to international law,” Leonard Rubenstein, a bioethicist at Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics specializing in protection of human rights in areas of conflict, said in a prepared statement.

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