Health professionals from every field recognise the obligation to prevent harm, and preserve the health and dignity of all human beings. As some Australians talk up the potential for a major war with China, how can we fulfil our professional responsibilities in the face of the large scale suffering that wars bring?
War directly kills, maims, and terrifies people – disproportionately civilians – and leaves profound and often lifelong psychological damage for combatants and civilians alike.
It can ruin lives on an even greater scale by destroying the things that we all need to survive, such as healthcare, clean water and sanitation, shelter, food, transport and communications, and by affecting the social and political determinants of health – sometimes for generations.
War is therefore a health issue and an issue where health professionals can play a key role.