Ignoring Red Lines: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict

In 2022, the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) documented 1,989 incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care in conflicts across 32 countries and territories. Incidents increased by 45% in 2022 compared to 2021 and marked the highest annual number of incidents that the SHCC has recorded since it began tracking such violence. Violent acts included the deliberate targeting of health facilities with explosive weapons; the burning down and looting of clinics and hospitals; the indiscriminate shelling and bombing of areas where health facilities were located; arrests and kidnapping of and threats against health workers; and the deliberate obstructing of patients’ access to health care. This alarming upsurge occurred at a time when tens of millions of people in conflict-affected countries and territories already suffered war, displacement, and staggering deprivation of food and other basic needs. This report includes profiles of the 16 countries and territories where at least 15 incidents of violence against health care were reported. The country profiles highlight the range of violence that affects the delivery of health care in conflict-affected contexts.