Epidemic of Violence: Violence against health care in conflict 2024
Never before has the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) recorded such a high number of reported incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care in conflict as in 2024. The SHCC identified 3,623 incidents in 2024, marking a 15% increase from 2023 and a 62% rise from 2022. This increase was driven by intense and persistent violence against health care in Lebanon, Myanmar, the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), Sudan, and Ukraine, as well as a rise in the number of countries reporting incidents, reaching 36 in 2024, three more than 2023. On average, health care came under attack ten times a day in conflict affected areas, where health systems are overwhelmed by rising needs, the growing suffering of patients, and increasing conflict-related deaths and intergenerational trauma.
