Perilous Medicine: The Struggle to Protect Health Care from the Violence of War

Pervasive violence against hospitals, patients, doctors, and other health workers has become a common feature of modern war, undermining long-standing values and laws designed to ensure that sick and wounded people receive care. Leonard Rubenstein's book "Perilous Medicine" offers a gripping and powerful account of the dangers health workers face during conflict and the legal, political, and moral struggle to protect them. It shares the stories of people who have been attacked while seeking to serve patients under dire circumstances, and reveals how political and military leaders evade their legal obligations to protect health care, punish doctors and nurses for adhering to their responsibilities, and fail to hold perpetrators to account. The book also offers a path forward, detailing the lessons the international community needs to learn to protect people already suffering in war and those on the front lines of health care in conflict-ridden places around the world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 21 September 2021
Publisher: Columbia University Press

The pervasive violence targeting hospitals, patients, doctors, and other health workers has become an alarming and deeply concerning feature of modern warfare. These relentless attacks not only result in the loss of precious lives but also severely undermine the ability of health systems to provide care to those in urgent need. Failure to address this violence undermines the fundamental values and laws that are meant to ensure the well-being and treatment of the sick and wounded.

Leonard Rubenstein, a renowned human rights lawyer who has extensively investigated atrocities against health workers across the globe, provides a gripping and poignant account of the dangers faced by these individuals during conflict. Through a series of twelve case studies, Rubenstein shares the stories of individuals who have been targeted while attempting to provide medical assistance to patients in dire circumstances. These stories include health workers hiding from soldiers in the forests of eastern Myanmar, surgeons operating in bombed-out hospitals in Syria, and Afghan hospital staff being attacked by the Taliban, as well as government and foreign forces.

Rubenstein's book, Perilous Medicine, sheds light on the ways in which political and military leaders evade their legal obligations to protect healthcare during war. He exposes how doctors and nurses are punished for fulfilling their responsibilities to provide care to all in need, and how perpetrators of violence against health workers are often not held accountable. By combining extensive research, firsthand experiences, and compelling personal narratives, Rubenstein offers a roadmap for the international community to learn and implement the necessary measures to safeguard both those already suffering in war and those on the front lines of healthcare in conflict-ridden regions worldwide.

The book highlights the urgent need for the international community to prioritize the protection of health workers and healthcare facilities. It emphasizes the importance of establishing robust legal frameworks and mechanisms to hold perpetrators of violence accountable, as well as providing adequate training and support to health workers in conflict zones. Additionally, it calls for increased diplomatic efforts to promote peaceful resolutions to conflicts and to prevent the escalation of violence that threatens the lives and well-being of health workers and patients alike.

In conclusion, Perilous Medicine serves as a powerful testament to the bravery and resilience of health workers who risk their lives to provide care to those in need. It highlights the urgent need for the international community to take action to protect these individuals and to ensure that healthcare is not compromised during times of conflict. By learning from the experiences of health workers and implementing the recommendations outlined in the book, we can work towards a world where the safety and well-being of health workers are prioritized and where access to healthcare is a universal right, regardless of the circumstances.

Weight: 730g
Dimension: 163 x 236 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231192460