Home > ICRC Activities > Assistance > Health News Liberia: ICRC donates medical supplies to Redemption Hospital 10-6-2008 News release 12-5-2008 News release Section Health services for people affected by war Section on how the ICRC seeks to reduce death, disease, suffering and disability in war by ensuring access to health care of a universally accepted standard. Community health, health in prison, physical rehabilitation, war surgery, and weapons and health. Information on humanitarian assistance training courses (HELP). ![]() ref. LK-D-00014-02 Health service activities are designed to give people affected by conflict access to appropriate basic preventive and curative health care that meets universally recognized standards, a task which entails assisting local or regional health services and sometimes stepping in for them on a temporary basis. 1-3-2000 Health services: introductionThe ICRC Health Services Unit aims to assure that victims of war have access to essential preventive and curative care of a universally accepted standard. The ultimate objective is to contribute to a reduction in mortality, morbidity, suffering and disabilities caused by excessive needs or insufficient health care provision. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Health) Includes Photo 3-7-2006 First aid in armed conflicts: new manualThe ICRC has just published a new manual entitled First Aid in Armed Conflicts and other Situations of Armed Violence. It contains specific, practical information for those providing first aid and draws on the considerable expertise built up over many years by National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation and the ICRC. (Info resources\Audio) Audio Collection Includes Audio 19-5-2008 Afghanistan: students at Kandahar earn top marks for blood donationMirwais hospital in Kandahara is the reference health facility for conflict-affected southern Afghanistan, covering provinces such as Kandahar and Helmand. But its operations are often at risk because of a shortage of blood. The ICRC's Abdul Kabir reports. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Afghanistan) Feature Includes Photo 8-5-2008 Uganda: an HIV-clouded pregnancy – and yet, a smileMargret Achieng is HIV-positive and about to deliver. But, thanks to a new programme put in place with the support of the ICRC, her baby should not be infected. Iolanda Jaquemet reports from Northern Uganda. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Uganda) Feature Includes Photo 30-4-2008 Sri Lanka: ICRC flight provides lifeline to JaffnaThe ICRC has been operating a weekly charter flight between Colombo and the Jaffna peninsula since the closure of the main A9 highway in 2006. The flight has become a lifeline to patients needing specialized surgery, medical diagnosis or treatment not available on the peninsula. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Sri Lanka) Feature 25-3-2008 Zimbabwe: the long road to giving birthMona-Lisa was born in good health after her mother trekked over 15 kilometres at nine months pregnant to get to the nearest hospital. The ICRC is supporting 16 health structures in three rural districts to help fill some of the more troubling gaps in Zimbabwe's ailing healthcare system. Robin Waudo reports. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Zimbabwe) Feature Includes Photo 31-10-2007 Afghanistan: on the frontline of health careSharifa Seddiqi is a most unusual woman. Not only is she the sole female surgeon in Afghanistan's war-ravaged southern province of Kandahar, she also runs Mirwais hospital in Kandahar, the main hospital in the region. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Afghanistan) Feature 1-10-2007 Uganda: promoting community health in GuluLabworomor health centre in Gulu district has made a remarkable difference in the lives of thousands of local residents and internally displaced people. However, the small four-roomed building that houses the clinic has not been spared by the 20-year conflict that has ravaged northern Uganda. Journalist Denis Ocwich reports on the ICRC's comprehensive effort to rehabilitate 13 dilapidated health centres in the region. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Uganda) Feature Includes Photo 14-9-2007 Chad: young girl's story offers a lesson in survivalMahassine is a 13-year-old blind girl. She recently had a leg amputated after being hit by a bullet during an attack on her village. Against all odds, she managed to get on with her life. Yvonne Jansen, the ICRC orthopaedist who took care of her, recalls her courage and unrelenting will to overcome her traumatic experience. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Chad) Feature Includes Photo 10-9-2007 Southern Sudan: twice a survivor of warAlthough the conflict between the southern and the northern regions of Sudan ended in 2005, many of its victims are still striving to rebuild their lives. Mayon Deng, 42, joined the Sudanese army in 1984 and was dismissed in 1996 when he lost his left leg in combat. In November 2006, an attack in Malakal resulted in the amputation of his remaining leg. The ICRC's communication delegate in Juba, Robin Waudo, tells Mayon's story. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Sudan) Feature Includes Photo 9-5-2007 Zimbabwe: helping health authorities combat malaria in isolated communitiesMalaria is Zimbabwe's second biggest killer, after AIDS. The ministry of health has developed an effective strategy to combat the disease but does not always have the resources to carry it out, so the ICRC is pitching in. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Zimbabwe) Feature Includes Photo 30-1-2007 Darfur: weighing up the situation as community spirit thrives in Gereida campAt this time of year, the flimsy grass and tarpaulin shelters that are home to over 120,000 people in Gereida camp provide little protection from the whipping wind. At the moment however, it is not so much the weather that is troubling people in this vast sea of displaced humanity, but concern about food. The ICRC's Jessica Barry reports from the heart of the camp where kinship values are alive and well. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Sudan) Feature Includes Photo 18-1-2007 Darfur field surgical team: saving lives in the classroomThe ICRC undertook to address the needs of weapon-wounded people in Darfur with the establishment in April 2005 of a fast-response, mobile field surgical team (FST). The ICRC's Jessica Barry recounts the story of a teaching nurse who recently had the opportunity to experience the daily travails of the FST firsthand. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Sudan) Feature Includes Photo 24-11-2006 Cataract surgery restores sight to villagers in remote Indonesian PapuaNearly 50 villagers from the Papuan highlands in eastern Indonesia have recently undergone surgery, funded by the ICRC, to restore their sight. Suzanna Halsey, an interpreter for the ICRC, sent this report from the provincial capital, Jayapura. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Indonesia) Feature Includes Photo 22-2-2008 Uganda: 2008 health activities in northern districtsDetails of the ICRC's programmes, focussing on water and sanitation and other aspects of community care, in areas that have been affected by the conflict. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Uganda) Field newsletter Includes PDF 15-12-2004 Sri Lanka: the ICRC's health care programme in the Vanni This film shows how the war in Sri Lanka has hit the Vanni region particularly hard as thousands of people fled there to escape the conflict. It focuses on the health care crisis and how the ICRC responded. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Films\Assistance) ICRC film 26-6-2006 First Aid in armed conflicts and other situations of violenceA practical manual presenting the specific knowledge, skills and practices that First Aiders should have to act safely and effectively when caring for people caught up in armed conflicts and other situations of violence, such as internal disturbances and tensions. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Assistance) ICRC Publication Includes PDF 31-12-2001 Care in the Field for Victims of Weapons of War. A report from the workshop organized by the ICRC on "Pre-hospital care for war and mine wounded"This report is designed for health professionals who work in the area of care for people wounded by weapons, who plan such care and who train others to give it. The objectives of the report are to define clearly and justify the elements of first aid and treatment which are appropriate in any situation where there are wounded people; to ensure that health professionals know what constitutes, in the context of care in the field, the right treatment at the right time and in the right place; and to recommend priorities for moving wounded people to a surgical hospital. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Assistance) ICRC publication 31-12-2001 Humanitarian action and armed conflict: Coping with stressThis brochure is intended for ICRC staff and humanitarian professionals working in conflict zones or other emergency situations. It describes and proposes ways of dealing with the various emotional reactions that may arise as a result of a traumatic event or from the difficulties encountered daily in the field. It contains a self-evaluation test. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Assistance) ICRC publication 31-12-1996 War and public health : handbook on war and public healthA manual intended for medical and other personnel responsible for humanitarian activities in armed conflicts. It covers the following topics: setting up a health-care system that meets the essential needs of war victims, particularly of displaced persons; public health tools most frequently used for evaluation, establishment of priorities, analysis of possible activities and their follow-up; protecting war victims and aspects of humanitarian law related to health; and lastly, ethical problems. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Assistance) ICRC publication 30-9-2000 Preventing and limiting suffering should conflict break out: the role of the medical profession(Info resources\International Review\2000 - No. 839) International Review of the Red Cross 31-3-1999 Prevention, armed conflict and public health(Info resources\International Review\1999 - No. 833) International Review of the Red Cross 27-8-2007 Supporting Mirwais hospital in southern Afghanistan![]() The ICRC's head of delegation in Afghanistan, Reto Stocker, talks about the ICRC's ongoing assistance for surgical services at Mirwais hospital in Kandahar and explains why the organization has upgraded its support to include the entire hospital. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Afghanistan) Interview Includes Photo 31-3-2008 Profession: Doctor (public health)in the field (About the ICRC\Human resources\Skills always in demand) Job opportunity Includes Photo 27-3-2008 Zimbabwe: providing vital drugs and safe water to rural health centres![]() Zimbabweans are facing extremely hard economic times resulting in the highest inflation rate in the world, a situation which is putting added pressure on the country's already weakened healthcare system. The ICRC is supporting 16 rural health structures in three districts. (Info resources\Photos\Africa) Photo Collection Includes Photo 2-1-2008 Haunted guests: Iraqis seek refuge with their neighbours In the largest population movement in the Middle East since 1948, a huge influx of Iraqis is putting pressure on services in Jordan and Syria. How are their Red Crescent Societies responding to the needs? Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 3, 2007 (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq) Press article Includes Photo 15-11-2006 Declining health services in the Palestinian territories: an ICRC reportSince the beginning of 2006, the ICRC has repeatedly warned of the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories. An ICRC report issued today documents the tragic consequences that the interruption of essential health services has had on the Palestinian population. A key finding is that it is the poor, whose numbers are increasing because of the overall economic decline, who are predominantly affected by the current interruption of health services. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Palestine) Report Includes PDF, Photo 1-12-2005 A special thought for those who are struggling with AIDSOn World AIDS Day, ICRC staff member Médiatrice Nsekalije urges us to break down the barrier of indifference that stands between us and those who are living with HIV/AIDS. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Health) 1-8-2004 Landmine victim assistance Anti-personnel mines are designed to shatter lives and limbs beyond repair. If the person who steps on or touches a mine is not killed by the explosion, he or she typically undergoes multiple operations and the amputation of one or more limbs, followed by lengthy physical rehabilitation. Disabled for life, mine survivors require long-term care. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Health) 28-2-2002 A supportive programme for the humanitarian aid workers of the ICRCExtract from "Revue Française de Psychiatrie et de Psychologie Médicale", février 2002 - Tome VI - No 53. Article reproduced on this site with the kind permission of the publisher. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Health) 1-5-1998 Emotional group debriefing of humanitarian aid workers: the experience of ICRCExtract from Swiss Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, 1998;149:218-28. Article reproduced on this site with the kind permission of the publisher. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Health) 10-9-2007 World Global FundThe Global Fund was created to finance a dramatic turn-around in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. These diseases kill over 6 million people each year, and the numbers are growing. To date, the Global Fund has committed US$ 8.4 billion in 136 countries to support aggressive interventions against all three diseases. (Info resources\Other sites\United Nations) Other site 4-4-2005 Center for Communication Programs of Johns Hopkins UniversityThe Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health established CCP in 1988 to consolidate health communication programs originating in the 1970s and early 1980s and focus attention on the central role of communication in health behavior change. (Info resources\Other sites\Institutes and universities) Other site |