At the heart of the World Innovation Summit for Health 2024, a lively discussion took place during a panel highlighting the devastating impact of attacks on health infrastructure and medical personnel in Palestine. Palestinian Minister of Health Maged Abu Ramadan stressed that the stark numbers of casualties and destroyed facilities do not fully reflect the scale of the suffering.
“What matters is human lives, human dignity. In Gaza, the most important thing for us is our country, our dignity and our children. What is very important is that they want to make Gaza uninhabitable. That is why they are targeting health facilities,” said Mr. Abu Ramadan.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, stressed the importance of protecting health workers and infrastructure in conflict zones, highlighting the alarming increase in attacks in recent years.
“Health facilities should not be targets, especially given the increased need for health care in times of war,” Dr Ghebreyesus said. He stressed that two-thirds of the victims are women and children and that stopping the shooting in Palestine and holding a dialogue between the parties are essential.
“The key to the solution lies in Israel,” Dr Ghebreyesus said. “Israel should understand that it is in their interest to resolve this.”
Dr Ghebreyesus recounted the shocking atrocities he has witnessed in Gaza, Sudan and other countries. “We are marching towards nuclear war,” he added.
The discussions were informed by the findings of the WHO/WISH report ‘In the Line of Fire: Protecting Health in Armed Conflict’, which calls for a concerted global response to protect health from the ravages of war.
The report recommends the establishment of a global alliance and the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur to protect health from the brutality of war.
Participants at the session included Dr Rick Brennan, Regional Director for Emergencies for WHO, Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office; Ms Sigrid Kaag, UN Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza; Professor Leonard Rubenstein, Distinguished Professor of Practice at the Centre for Public Health and Human Rights; Dr Mads Gilbert, Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Arctic University of Norway; Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population of Egypt; and Mr Yousef Bin Ali Alkhater, President of the Qatar Red Crescent.
In violation of international law, attacks on health care have become increasingly common in recent decades, as highlighted in the WHO/WISH report.
WHO has documented more than 7,000 attacks on health facilities since 2018, resulting in the deaths of more than 2,200 health workers and patients and injuring more than 4,600 people in 21 countries.
The seventh WISH conference kicked off on Wednesday for two consecutive days. The summit features in-depth discussions among 200 experts from around the world to address critical health issues and innovative practices.
Humanizing healthcare in times of conflict and inequality is the central theme of WISH 2024.
This edition is distinguished by WISH’s partnership with the World Health Organization, marking a new era of collaboration in global health.