On World Health Day, HI Exposes Healthcare Challenges in War-Torn Areas

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND – Hospitals devastated, medical personnel killed, and civilians deprived of access to vital healthcare in a helpless war scene.

Recent armed conflicts, notably in Ukraine, Gaza, and Syria, have created significant barriers to healthcare access, exacerbated by the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas. War deprives populations of access to vital healthcare while needs increase exponentially.

As the world approaches World Health Day on April 7, 2025, HI denounces barriers to healthcare for civilians and reminds States that International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law require protection for wounded and sick people, humanitarian and medical personnel, and medical transport vehicles.

Alma Taslidžan, HI's Head of Disarmament and Civilian Protection Advocacy, says,

“By destroying hospitals, attacking ambulances, and killing medical personnel, the use of explosive weapons in conflict settings prevents access to healthcare and directly endangers millions of civilian lives.” She continues,” This situation is particularly harmful to the most vulnerable populations, including women, children, people with disabilities, and older people. What we witness is a total violation of International Humanitarian Law.”

Destroying health infrastructure, whether partial or total, deprives civilians of rapid access to vital healthcare. The destruction of other essential infrastructure, such as roads and power stations, also indirectly impacts the population, increasing the risk of deterioration in people’s health by making access to healthcare facilities challenging and undermining their capacity to provide quality care. Women, children, older people, and people with disabilities are the first victims of this impeded access to healthcare.

The impact of war on healthcare systems continues to be felt after the fighting is over, with the presence of explosive remnants of war hindering access to healthcare facilities that are functioning again. Attacks on health centers have been a violation of International Humanitarian Law since 1949. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court classifies them as war crimes (Article 8), and the United Nations Security Council strongly condemns them.

Key figures:

• According to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in August 2024, nearly 2,000 health facilities have been damaged or destroyed by bomb attacks in Ukraine.
• According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), only 17 of Gaza's 36 hospitals were still partially functional at the beginning of December 2024, with the remaining 19 closed, and more than 1,000 health workers have been killed since October 7, 2023.
• In 2023, at least 822 incidents were recorded in 20 countries, resulting from the use of explosive weapons against health systems, including health facilities and health workers. More than 80% of reported incidents occurred in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Ukraine, and Myanmar.

Health Systems Were Devastated in Ukraine, Gaza, and Syria

In Ukraine, HI's team members endeavor to ensure access to quality physical and functional rehabilitation, mental health, and psychosocial support services. They are working in several facilities in the east and south of the country, including reception centers, as well as in several hospitals in Kharkiv and the Dnipro region, providing physical and functional rehabilitation services to individuals with injuries, disabilities, and those displaced by the conflict who require rehabilitation care. They also train hospital staff in specialized rehabilitation services, including treating complex injuries, burns, and post-amputation care.

Olga Lieshukova, a Ukrainian impacted citizen, recalls, “We were hit by chunks of concrete falling from the ceiling.”

In May 2022, just a few months after the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, her town, Mykolaiv, was the scene of particularly intense artillery fire. Cluster munitions and two missiles hit her apartment. Olga and her husband were seriously injured in the attack. In desperate need of emergency treatment, the couple had to travel dozens of kilometers to receive medical assistance.

Olha Lieshukova, a Ukrainian refugee in Germany and defender of survivors’ rights, says, "We needed help, but the leading emergency relief site had been completely destroyed, and there was nowhere else to go. Many health professionals had already left the city because it was too dangerous to live there. It was very challenging to find a doctor.”

In Gaza, the situation is equally catastrophic. Air strikes have destroyed most health facilities. The few remaining structures have been operating at or above capacity since the ceasefire due to the growing number of patients and displaced civilians. The shortage of supplies and medicines severely hinders the team’s functioning capacity. The absence of healthcare over a long period has also led to medical complications for patients with chronic illnesses.

In October 2023, the Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital was severely damaged and ran out of fuel. It was forced to suspend its activities, depriving around 10,000 patients in the Gaza Strip of the oncological care and treatment they needed.

To compensate for this lack of access to healthcare, HI teams are out working in the field every day. Our mobile rehabilitation teams visit homes, providing rehabilitation care and mobility aids, such as wheelchairs and crutches, in the governorates of Gaza City, the Middle Area, Khan Younis, and Rafah. HI has also opened a prosthetics and orthotics center in Khan Younis for people with injuries and amputations.

In Syria, the impact of explosive weapons use on healthcare access is very long-lasting, as can be seen, where the health system has been weakened by 12 years of war.

The contamination resulting from the explosive remnants of war in conflict settings has added more challenges to accessing healthcare services long after the hostilities had ended. People with disabilities, who are already vulnerable, face additional obstacles in accessing healthcare.

How to Strengthen Access to Healthcare in These Settings

A report entitled “How Can Healthcare Access Be Strengthened in Settings Where Explosive Weapons Are Being Used?” was published in February 2025 as part of a project led by HI. It guides the implementation of the humanitarian commitments outlined in the Political Declaration on the Protection of Civilians against the Use of Explosive Weapons.

The report also highly recommends deploying mobile clinics, which have become essential to healthcare systems, providing various care services to populations cut off from healthcare facilities.                                                       

Available for interviews:

Alma Taslidzan, Head of Disarmament and Civilian Protection Advocacy.
Anne Héry, HI's Advocacy and Institutional Relations Director.Duncan Ball, HI Ukraine Program Director.
Danila Zizi, HI Syria Program Director.
Mara Bernasconi, Head of Advocacy for HI in the Middle East.