Armed attacks on hospitals becoming more frequent

Violence has resulted in deaths, injury and destroyed facilities


Hospitals were protected by the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which said that innocent civilians were to be spared in time of war. The conventions' additional protocols of 1977 stated that, "The civilian population and individual civilians shall enjoy general protection against the dangers arising from military operations." Today, these prohibitions are regularly ignored, according to the second part of an article on the Hospital & Health Networks website.

Hospitals have an obligation to support and protect each other and do their part to reduce the violence, the article said.

To the extent that they can, they should:

• refuse to serve as a haven for active combatants

• not allow weapons on the premises

• not allow attacks to be launched from their premises

"Using hospitals, outside their humanitarian function, for acts harmful to the enemy, such as sheltering able-bodied combatants, storing arms or ammunition, as military observation posts or shield for military action, leads to a loss of their protection, exposing such hospitals to a risk of attack," the UN report on violence in Syria said.

Read the article.

Read part one of the article.

 

 

 



December 17, 2014


Topic Area: Safety


Recent Posts

Redefining What Mental Health Facilities Look Like

A new Mental Health and Addictions Center uses design and architecture to challenge the stigma and create a more open model of care.


Managing High-Volume Laundry Operations 

Tips and tricks one director has learned in three decades of managing a large, high-volume laundry operation.


University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Falls Victim to Vendor Data Breach

A health information network named “Health Gorilla” improperly accessed medical records available through the national network used to exchange medical information.


Optimizing the Engineering Design of Ambulatory Care Facilities

Designing cost-effective engineering systems is not about minimizing investment but about investing strategically.


Construction Completed on Washington Health Urgent Care Facility in California

The design team maximized the existing footprint to accommodate five exam rooms, a dedicated procedure room and an X-ray room.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

 
 
 
 

Healthcare Facilities Today membership includes free email newsletters from our facility-industry brands.

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Posts

Copyright © 2023 TradePress. All rights reserved.