Health Care in Danger 1

Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers in conflict zones work under challenges most of us can’t imagine; treating frequent injuries from bombs and bullets, dealing with disrupted supply lines, and managing hospitals and clinics that are damaged or even under attack.
Now imagine adding COVID-19 into that mix.
Red Cross Talks reached out to Hossam Elsharkawi to discuss the additional threat that the global pandemic poses to those who live and work in areas of conflict.

With constant access to information, it can be easy to assume that we are getting a full picture of what is going on in the world. But there are stories that rarely make headlines, and when those stories impact millions of people they can represent an emergency.

For the last ten years, armed conflicts and violence has caused an unprecedented level of human suffering in places like Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. The Red Cross and Red Crescent is on the ground, providing impartial and life-saving aid to those who are caught in these conflicts - including surgical care. 

During two panel discussions – “Reporting from Conflict Zones” and “Reporting from the Middle East” – journalists Ray Homer, Lisa LaFlamme, Laura Lynch, Grant McDonald, Zein Almoghraby, Sylvène Gilchrist and Tara Sutton described their experiences working in some of the world’s most dangerous areas.

Two Canadian aid workers, perioperative nurse Dianne Hyra-Kuzenko from Winnipeg, and anesthesiologist Louis Fraser from Calgary are part of an ICRC surgical team providing critical medical care for war-wounded people in Iraq.

On March 7, the Canadian Red Cross in partnership with Dalhousie University’s Global Health Office hosted a panel discussion in Halifax on the challenges and successes in strengthening the lives of women and children in conflict and fragile settings.

Since the tragic attack in Novye Atagi in 1996, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has dedicated December 17 as a day to remember colleagues who lost their lives in the line of duty, and reflect on their sacrifices. This year, to mark the 20^th anniversary, family members of deceased Red Cross workers will be travelling to Geneva to take part in a series of in memoriam events. The families of Canadian aid workers Nancy Malloy and Vatche Arslanian, will be among those in attendance.  

This year, over 17,000 people from 16 different countries were asked what they thought about International Humanitarian Law and the limits to war. The exact same questions were asked nearly 20 years ago, which means we can get insight into people’s views on International Humanitarian Law, and how those views have changed over time