Palestinian Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan said, in a panel discussion held at the World Innovation Summit for Healthcare (WISH) in Doha on November 14, that the death toll or destroyed hospitals do not tell the story: “What is important is human life, and human beings.” “And human dignity. In Gaza, the most important things to us are our country, our dignity and our children. What is very important is that they want to make Gaza depopulated. That is why they are targeting health facilities.”
The two-day summit was titled “The Humanity of Health: Conflict, Equality and Resilience,” and the discussion focused on protecting health in armed conflict. During the morning plenary session of the summit, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus discussed the increase in attacks targeting health, especially over the past two years. Ghebreyesus said – according to the Eurick Alert website – “Health facilities should not be a target, especially in light of the increasing need for health care during war.”
He stressed that two-thirds of the people who die are women and children, and that stopping the war in Gaza and bringing the parties to the negotiating table is extremely important. He pointed out that “the key to the solution lies in Israel; Israel must understand that it is in its interest to resolve this issue.”
In the line of fire: protecting health in armed conflict
Discussions on these topics were based on a recently published joint WHO-WISH report entitled “In the Line of Fire: Protecting Health in Armed Conflict,” which underscores the need for a bold and united response to protect health in times of armed conflict. The report also calls for a global coalition and a United Nations special rapporteur to protect health care in times of conflict.
According to the report, violence towards healthcare and health workers in times of conflict has increased since 2000, even though international humanitarian law protects medical care services in times of conflict. Vital health services have been attacked and the focus of intense conflicts, leaving civilians and vulnerable populations without basic care.
The panel discussion was addressed by Dr. Rick Brennan, Regional Director for Emergencies at the World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Ms. Sigrid Kaag, United Nations Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator in Gaza, and Professor Leonard Rubinstein, Distinguished Professor of Practice at the Center for Public Health and Human Rights at the College of Public Health. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health, Dr. Mads Gilbert, Professor of Emergency Medicine at Arctic University in Norway, and Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, And Yousef bin Ali Al Khater, President of the Qatar Red Crescent.
Building survivability
Since 2018, the World Health Organization has documented more than 7,000 incidents of attacks on health care, in which more than 2,200 health workers and patients lost their lives and more than 4,600 people were injured, in 21 countries and regions experiencing complex humanitarian emergencies.
This year, the WISH conference was opened under the patronage of Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. The opening ceremony, which was held at the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha, included speeches from Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari, former Qatari Minister of Public Health, Lord Darzi of Denham, CEO of WISH, and Christos Christou, President of Doctors Without Borders.
The summit aimed to highlight the need for innovation in health to support everyone, leave no one behind and build resilience, especially among vulnerable communities and in areas of armed conflict.
WISH entered into a strategic partnership with the World Health Organization ahead of the Summit, collaborating on a series of evidence-based reports and policy papers, as well as working with the UN health agency to develop a post-Summit implementation strategy.
The summit features more than 200 health experts talking about evidence-based ideas and practices in healthcare innovation to address the world’s most pressing global health challenges.