The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has warned attacks on health-care workers, patients and facilities “must not become the norm”.
Yet reports from wars across the world frequently show hospitals being bombed and health workers being attacked.
The increased use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas makes the problem worse as they cause widespread harm to civilians and critical infrastructure, including health facilities. Whether these attacks are targeted or seen as “collateral damage”, there is growing concern they are becoming an accepted part of armed conflict – although they violate protections granted under international law.
