Trauma response under structural constraint (Webinar)

For more information about this event, please visit:https://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/50797/ About the network As spaces – both in the literal and the figurative sense – of exception, conflict zones tend to create vulnerable settings, particularly for healthcare and medicine. Conflict in the 21st century increasingly focuses on the purposeful destruction and destabilisation of civil society, making non-combatants a main target. It is characterised by disregard for the rules of war, international humanitarian law and human rights. Thus, conflicts have a tremendous impact on healthcare provision and access to healthcare. Medical issues in conflict zones range from non-communicable diseases, communicable diseases, traumatic injuries, mental health issues to issues related to maternal, women’s, and child health. The specific dynamics of each of the issues and the countless conditions they cover can be vastly different. However, the effect that humanitarian emergencies have on these medical issues is similar and the main mechanisms through which humanitarian emergencies have these detrimental effects are the same. One of the key problems that humanitarian emergencies pose is the destruction of health infrastructure, coupled with a lack of health care workers (HCWs) and the potential for increased physical danger to HCWs, as well as limited access to essential medicines. Some issues are further exacerbated. Humanitarian emergencies can directly cause both physical and mental injury, such as blast injuries, injuries linked to debris or inadequate shelter, gunshot wounds and post-traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, humanitarian emergencies can trigger risk factors and risk factor cascades that significantly increase the risk of communicable disease outbreaks. For more information about this network, please visit: https://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/research/networks/healthcare-in-conflict/