Attacks on Health Care Worldwide: 5-year Review

Aim: The aim of our study is to explore the attacks on healthcare services and bring attention to this problem and raise awareness of the need for new national and international initiatives in this area. Materials and Methods: The databases Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care and Attacked and Threatened: Health Care at Risk were scanned between January 1, 2018 and November 11, 2020 to gather the research data (5 years). Results: When the attacks are evaluated by country or region, it has been revealed that the Occupied Palestinian territory reported the most incidences with 1,140 (28.64%) attacks, followed by Ukraine with 666 (16.73%) attacks on healthcare facilities. As a result of the attacks, the Occupied Palestinian Territory experienced the most injuries with 695 people (53.1%), Afghanistan had the most deaths with 63 people (18.9%), and the most healthcare facility damage occurred with 581 (33.8%) organizations in Ukraine. Conclusion: Despite the worldwide standards and national regulations of the Geneva Convention; attacks on healthcare personnel continue unabated, particularly in war and conflict zones. Reports from numerous nations and locations worldwide confirm this.