Leading voices in global healthcare spotlighted the escalating attacks on health amid armed conflict globally at the Osaka Expo, during a panel session hosted by Qatar Foundation’s global healthcare initiative, World Innovation Summit for Health ( WISH).
Held at the event’s Qatar Pavilion, the panel – titled ‘Protecting Health in Armed Conflict’- brought together representatives from Médecins Sans Frontières, the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNRWA, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as WISH.
The panel built on WISH’s ongoing efforts to raise global awareness of attacks on health, following a recent official side event at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva and the release of a joint report on the issue by WISH and WHO. The discussion at the Osaka Expo is part of a broader WISH strategy to foster a coalition of organisations and experts to protect health workers and facilities in conflict zones.
Speaking during the panel, Dr Slim Slama, CEO of WISH, said: “An attack on healthcare is an attack on the very foundation of humanity. Each strike not only destroys hospitals and endangers health workers, but also robs entire communities of safety, dignity, and hope. Protecting medical care in conflict is a legal and moral obligation – when we fail to act, we allow suffering to multiply and justice to fade.”
Alongside Dr Slama, panelists included Chika Suefuji, advocacy director, Médecins Sans Frontières; Dr Rick Brennan, former WHO EMRO regional emergency director; Dr Akihiro Seita, medical director, UNRWA, and Hitomi Makabe, head of communications, International Committee of the Red Cross.
The discussion was moderated by Dr Sunoor Verma, director of partnerships and outreach, WISH.
