On April 13, 2022, the Head of the Board and Leading Researcher of UIPHP Sergii Dvoriak took part in a meeting of international experts in the field of public health, organized by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (USA).
During this hybrid event, experts provide context for the violence against health care in ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Myanmar, Tigray, and elsewhere. They also discussed the threats to the creation of a functioning health system in Afghanistan in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spotlighted the long-standing issue of attacks on hospitals, medical personnel, and civilian populations during times of war. It has been more than 150 years since international law first required that combatants refrain from attacking hospitals, the wounded and sick, and health workers, yet these assaults persist — often without consequences. Such attacks threaten public health infrastructure, both immediately and for years thereafter.
So far, the World Health Organization has verified more than 100 attacks on health care workers and facilities since Russia invaded Ukraine, and experts worry these attacks will continue.
Video: The Vulnerability of Health Care in Conflict: Ukraine and Beyond. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2022 April 13 (EN)