WHO urges protection for doctors and paramedics amid rising Middle East tensions

Dubai: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for restraint and protection of medical teams as regional tensions impact healthcare systems.

The expansion of conflict across the Middle East has placed increasing pressure on healthcare services, with medical workers caught in the crossfire, according to the WHO.

In a statement, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has expressed deep concern over the situation, particularly in Lebanon, where three paramedics were killed and six others injured while responding to patients in the southern Tyre district. 

“The risk that more health workers will count among the casualties is high. This must be avoided at all costs, so paramedics, doctors, and nurses can be allowed to carry out their life-saving work, which is especially needed in times of crisis,” said Ghebreyesus.

The director has shared that the paramedics were recovering people injured by explosions in southern Lebanon when the incident happened. The strike has raised attention that more health workers could become casualties if hostilities intensify.

Moreover, the WHO has stressed that further loss of medical staff not only claim lives but can also affect the broader healthcare response.

Additionally, Ghebreyesus has urged the involved countries to abide by international humanitarian law, which requires the protection of health workers, medical facilities, and patients during armed conflict.

“I call for the utmost restraint and for voices of wisdom and peace to rise above sound of bombings. Peace is the best medicine.”

As tensions continue, the safety of those on the frontlines remains a pressing humanitarian priority.

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