Health: Providing care at the front line

Everybody has a right to health care – even in war.

An ICRC medical staff member assists an elderly woman on a stretcher during an emergency situation.

We don’t take sides, and we will always uphold our principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence in the course of our work.

We work with medical teams to provide the care that patients need in the context of their unique local situation.

We take a long-term view of care, providing a continuum of care by ensuring continuity between different health-care services.

We foster trust and cooperation by working together with the communities we seek to help.

Giving people affected by conflict and other violence access to essential health care

War devastates health-care systems and hinders and deprives people of access to health care, including life-saving treatment. At the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), treating and caring for the sick and wounded during armed conflict and other violence is one of our founding principles. 

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Meeting health-care needs in situations of conflict and other violence

We provide high-quality and accountable health-care programmes designed to meet professional standards, no matter how dire the circumstances in which we operate. While our traditional health-care activities – such as first aid, war surgery, physical rehabilitation and health in detention – are still as relevant as ever, other disciplines – such as primary health care, comprehensive hospital care and mental health and psychosocial support – are becoming increasingly important. 

First aid and pre-hospital emergency care

To reduce the catastrophic impact of war on civilians, it is imperative that the sick and wounded receive safe, humane and effective treatment, and are then referred to the right place for further care. This can mean the difference between life and death. 

Primary health care

Prevention is better than cure, and we work to provide a first point of access to health care for those affected by armed conflict. Even during conflict, children need to be vaccinated, pregnant women need antenatal care, and victims of sexual violence need access to essential services, such as trauma counselling and protection against disease. 

Hospital services

Providing the urgent care that is so vital during armed conflict becomes even more challenging when a society’s essential infrastructure collapses. We play a crucial role in helping victims in such situations. The support we provide to hospital programmes ensures that much-needed treatment is available close to where people live.

Physical rehabilitation

Injuries can be life-changing and it is essential that those with lasting disabilities have access to physical rehabilitation services to help increase their independence and enhance their quality of life. We provide mobility devices, such as prostheses, together with physiotherapy so that people can get the most benefit from their devices. We also support people to re-enter society after a life-changing injury. 

Mental health and psychosocial support

War has a deep impact on the psyche of its victims. Witnessing death and violence, adapting to life-changing injuries or living with post-traumatic stress are among the many psychosocial challenges faced by victims of war. Our programmes aim to build the capacities of local agencies to stabilize and improve patients’ mental health and well-being.

Health in detention

Detainees have a right to health care during their detention, regardless of the reason they are being held. By promoting appropriate health care in places of detention, we help to improve the health of the community as a whole. Our programmes in detention settings are aimed at protecting and promoting the life, health and dignity of detainees.

Frequently asked questions

  • Violence against health-care workers, facilities and beneficiaries is one of the most serious humanitarian challenges in the world today. And yet it frequently goes unrecognized.
    An ICRC study based on data collected in 16 countries from mid-2008 to the end of 2010 shows patterns of violence that hinder the delivery of health care, ranging from direct attacks on patients and on medical personnel and facilities – including looting and kidnapping – to arrests and denial of access to health care.

    Thus, urban fighting may prevent health-care personnel from reaching their places of work, first-aiders may be unnecessarily delayed at checkpoints, soldiers may forcibly enter a hospital to look for enemies or shield themselves from attack, and ambulances may be targeted or illegally used to carry out attacks. Whatever the context, poor security conditions in many parts of the world mean that the wounded and sick do not get the medical attention to which they are entitled.

    Although acts that hinder the delivery of health care often violate basic principles of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and although numerous efforts have been undertaken by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement over decades to put an end to these acts, the problem nonetheless continues. Addressing it is a matter of life and death for thousands.

  • A single act of violence that damages a hospital or kills health-care workers has a knock-on effect, depriving many patients of treatment they would otherwise have received from the facility or workers in question. The killing of six ICRC and Red Cross nurses in Novye Atagi, Chechnya, on 17 December 1996, deprived an estimated 2,000 war-wounded per year of needed surgical care. The effect on the wounded and sick of just one violent incident directed against medical personnel or facilities may be felt by hundreds or even thousands of people.
    Owing to the effects of chronic and acute threats, compounded by the persistent problem of inadequate medical services, lack of access to health care is probably one of the biggest humanitarian issues today in terms of the numbers of people affected.

  • It includes:

    • first-aid posts and ambulances;
    • health care centres;
    • hospitals, clinics, and physical rehabilitation centres; 
    • health-care personnel, whether working in medical facilities, in ambulances or as independent practitioners;
    • all persons on the premises of medical facilities, including the wounded and sick and their relatives;
    • Red Cross and Red Crescent staff involved in the delivery of health care, including volunteers;
    • health-oriented NGOs;
    • military health-care facilities and personnel.

Next event

ICRC Conference on Weapon-Wounded Care

International Conference Centre of Geneva (CICG)