WHO Warns Attacks on Healthcare Are Becoming a Global Crisis

The World Health Organization says attacks on hospitals, medical workers and healthcare infrastructure are occurring at an alarming rate across conflict zones.

More than 900 attacks on healthcare have been documented during 2026, according to WHO reporting.

The consequences extend far beyond those killed or injured in individual incidents. When hospitals are destroyed or forced to close, communities can lose maternity services, emergency surgery, vaccination, disease surveillance and treatment for chronic illnesses.

That becomes especially dangerous during infectious-disease outbreaks.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's rapidly spreading Ebola emergency illustrates the problem. Controlling Ebola requires functioning health facilities, trained personnel, laboratories, isolation capacity and reliable contact tracing. Conflict and attacks on healthcare can undermine every one of those requirements.

The issue therefore sits at the intersection of warfare and global public health.

Medical facilities and healthcare workers receive special protections under international humanitarian law. Yet WHO's figures demonstrate the continuing vulnerability of healthcare systems during armed conflict.

**Why it matters:** An attack that disables a hospital can continue killing people indirectly long after the attack itself ends.

Source: World Health Organization and international reporting.