141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

294455
Advancing protection of health workers in conflicts

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 1:30 PM - 1:50 PM

Leonard Rubenstein, JD , Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
Attacks and interference with health workers, patients, facilities and transports in situations of conflict or political violence is a major issue in the world, exemplified in recent years in Syria, Libya, Pakistan, DRC, Afghanistan, Burma, the West Bank and Gaza, Bahrain, and Colombia. In order to address the problem, there needs to be more intensive monitoring, reporting, prevention programs, and accountability. This presentation will review initiatives to increase the role of international institutions including WHO, the Human Rights Council, and the Security Council in the addressing the problem. The session will also review the process for development of an instrument for data collection that can be used by NGOs, ministries, and health professionals in tracking attacks on health services.

Learning Areas:
Ethics, professional and legal requirements
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Identify the nature and extent of the problem of attacks in situations of conflict and political violence Describe international mechanisms that can be brought to bear to address the problem. Describe an instrument for collection of data on attacks on health workers and facilities. .

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have extensive experience in the field of protection of health in conflict, having authored papers for peer reviewed publications, received grants to engage in research on the subject, and presented on the subject at numerous conferences and events.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.