Healing Amidst Conflict while Health is Under Fire

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Jean Paule Joumaa, a Medical Student at the University of Balamand in Lebanon. He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Armed conflict is a global health issue. In a world where the need for medical professionals is increasing, questions arise while no answers are to be found… Aren’t the people supposed to help the injured and care for the wounded supposed to be safe? Shouldn’t they not have to worry, but focus on the treatment and management instead? Given the scarce resources in armed conflicts, ensuring the safety of medical workers is a necessity beyond discussion. 

Conflict is the ultimate social determinant of health, and conflict-affected countries are lagging behind. During times of armed conflict, the state is generally unable to secure and ensure the safety of healthcare workers and medical practitioners… There have been discussions showing that conflict-affected states have among the worst health indicators and weakest health systems in the world. This could be explained by one factor, which includes medical professionals fleeing the conflict areas to search for better opportunities and find a better life. Staff shortages extend to the entire healthcare team and play an important factor in effective service delivery, outcomes, and results.

In contexts where there is active fighting, providing trauma care can be particularly challenging, as it requires health providers to be as close as possible to the frontlines. In fact, during conflicts, health workers face multiple challenges touching them personally and professionally. In conflicts today, medical workers are often directly targeted by attacks, incarcerated, detained, taken hostage, tortured, threatened, harassed, intimidated, with health worker deaths being an all too common occurrence… Moreover, they often are witnesses to traumatic events leaving them troubled and feeling unstable.

There is no public health without health workers. Change is needed and a reform protecting the frontliners is crucial. Measures taken by governements to improve health care delivery should be amplified policy changes, accurate implementation, and supportive practices. The focus on security has influend the global agenda in recent years which has caused a shift in health aid being directed according to national security needs rather than health needs. Resources should focus on building health systems and ensuring the protection of medical practitioners.

As a conclusion, countries across the world have been involved and have contributed to the improvement of their health systems while trying to ensure the safety of healthcare workers; yet achieveing impactful change and actual security requires the collaboration of various stakeholders including policy makers. The issue has been recognized, taking steps towards reaching a solution is what each capable person should work towards…

References

• Katoue MG, Cerda AA, García LY and Jakovljevic M (2022) Healthcare system development in the Middle East and North Africa region: Challenges, endeavors and prospective opportunities. Front. Public Health 10:1045739. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1045739
• Alice Debarre, “Hard to Reach: Providing Healthcare in Armed Conflict” International Peace Institute, December 2018.

About the author

Jean Paule Joumaa is a Medical Student at the University of Balamand in Lebanon passionate about Medical Education, Public and Global Health, and Research Development. In addition to his academic work, he takes part in student organizations striving to amplify the voice of the youth and advocate for a meaningful involvement in decision making. He is pursuing a Masters in Public Health and working towards contributing to a positive impact both in the Medical Field and Lebanese Community.