The International Red Cross has shed light on the need to enhance the security of health care systems in conflict zones and other disaster-hit areas, in a world-wide campaign titled "Health Care in Danger."
The International Committee of the Red Cross, together with the Afghan Red Crescent Society and the Nepalese Red Cross Society, jointly hosted a workshopon this issue at the Beijing International Conference Centre on October 21.
The workshop focused on the global campaign, Health Care in Danger, which aims to improve security and ensure the delivery of impartial and efficient health care in armed conflict and in other emergency situations.
Participants discussed measures that can be taken to protect health-care workers, hospitals and patients in times of crisis. They also exchanged ideas on how National red-cross Societies and other stakeholders could fine-tune their response when facing a natural disaster or a conflict situation.
Christina Beerli, Vice President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says the measures adopted are a combination of efforts from multiple stakeholders rather than a single solution.
"The problem is manifold. We cannot have one single solution. So, we elaborated quite different solutions. One way is to influence governments and try to make very good domestic laws to protect the medical missions within each country. The other pillar would be to have very practical measures to protect not only medical personnel but also hospitals from attacks."
Apart from providing protection, health care workers from different countries have also been trained on how to protect themselves, said Robert Mardini, ICRC's Head of Operations for the Near and Middle East.
"There has been a number of initiatives and a number of trainings in various countries conducted together by the ICRC and the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. For example, we have devised a Safe Access Framework for volunteers who have to drive ambulances to the front lines of conflict to pick up the wounded. They need to know how to behave in order to reduce the risk of exposure."
The workshop is a side event of the 9th Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Health Care in Danger is a three year project led by the ICRC that was launched in 2012.
