Health workers and the weaponisation of health care in Syria: a preliminary inquiry for The Lancet–American University of Beirut Commission on Syria

The conflict in Syria presents new and unprecedented challenges that undermine the principles and practice of medical neutrality in armed conflict. The weaponisation of health care—a strategy of using people’s need for health care as a weapon against them by violently depriving them of it—has translated into hundreds of health workers killed, hundreds more incarcerated or tortured, and hundreds of health facilities deliberately and systematically attacked. Evidence shows use of this strategy on an unprecedented scale. The international community has left these violations of international humanitarian and human rights law largely unanswered, despite their enormous consequences. This inadequate response challenges the foundation of medical neutrality needed to sustain the operations of global health and humanitarian agencies in situations of armed conflict. This paper analyzes the situation of health workers facing such systematic and serious violations of international humanitarian law. It describes the tremendous pressures that health workers have been under and continue to endure, and the remarkable resilience and resourcefulness they have displayed in response to this crisis. The paper proposes policy imperatives to protect and support health workers working in armed conflict zones.

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Fouad F, Sparrow A, Tarakji A, Alameddine M, El-Jardali F, Coutts A et al. Health workers and the weaponisation of health care in Syria: a preliminary inquiry for The Lancet –American University of Beirut Commission on Syria. Lancet. 2017;390(10111):2516-2526. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30741-9