Letter

How health workers can take action

Dear healthmatters – War is a health issue; Medact’s mission is ‘challenging barriers to health’; and I would like to let your readers know about our work in relation to the terrorist attacks on the US and the subsequent bombing of Afghanistan, in the hope that they might join us in future action.

Shortly after September 11 we put out a statement which both condemned the attacks and included a plea that ‘action needs to be within international law and exhaust non-military means before resorting to military action leading to civilian deaths’. This was published in the BMJ and nursing press and received widespread support. Nothing that has occurred since has led us to change that view.

Since that time our members have been active in lobbying for restraint and in joining local vigils and the large demonstrations. In addition, we have held four meetings to develop a joint health sector response to the terrorism crisis.

These have been attended by representatives of the royal medical and nursing colleges, aid agencies working in Afghanistan and the medical and nursing press. They have focused mainly on the Afghanistan refugee crisis, on which up-to-date briefings and data on the health of the population have been shared by group members. An open letter signed by the presidents of six of the royal colleges and published in the health press expressed concern ‘that all responses should take account of the magnitude and complexity of the problem of combating terrorism of all kinds and its causes’.

Throughout, we have been drawing attention to the plight of the citizens of Afghanistan who face a humanitarian crisis of major proportions.

We are currently planning a seminar on reconstructing the health system in Afghanistan to help make this possible once a stable government is in place. This is being organised by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and takes place there on 22 January 2002. Anyone with an interest or expertise in this topic should contact Donna.Bowers@lshtm.ac.uk to register.

More about Medact’s work can be found on our website www.medact.org or by telephoning 020 7272 2020.