What's happened
The WHO has documented more than 10,400 attacks on healthcare facilities, workers, and supplies since 2018, with 5,700 deaths and over 8,500 injuries in 29 countries. From Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan and Nigeria, healthcare services face heavy weapon strikes, facility destruction, and detentions, disrupting care and outbreak responses.
What's behind the headline?
Key takeaways
- Attacks on healthcare are not isolated incidents; they undermine entire health systems and outbreak responses. "Behind every percentage is a patient" highlights the human cost.
- The data emphasize the need for accountability under international humanitarian law, given that health facilities remain targeted even as outbreaks emerge.
- Regions like Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and the DRC show persistent vulnerability; in several places, non-functional facilities rise, hampering care delivery and surveillance.
- The pattern suggests that protecting health services is critical for preventing secondary mortality during crises.
What this means for readers
- Health access is at risk where conflict compounds infrastructure collapse. Communities face longer waits, reduced vaccination and treatment, and higher casualty risk during outbreaks.
- Policy makers should prioritize protective measures for health facilities, ensure safe corridors for medical transport, and strengthen reporting and accountability mechanisms.
Forecast
- If hostilities continue, expect continued deterioration in essential health services and slower outbreak containment in affected regions.
How we got here
Since 2018, WHO has tracked attacks on healthcare across 29 countries, noting that attacks span hospitals, ambulances, workers, and supply chains. The latest data cover January–August 2026, and show widespread disruption of essential health services in conflict zones.
Our analysis
World Health Organization briefings and country reports; UN health agency statistics; reporting from All Africa, Independent, AP News, and The New Arab summarize the scale and impact of attacks on healthcare, from hospital damage to detention of healthcare workers.
Go deeper
- Will authorities establish clearer accountability for attacks on healthcare?
- How are patients and healthcare workers adapting as facilities become non-functional?
- What protections are being cited or provided for medical facilities in ongoing conflicts?
More on these topics
-
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency's governing structure and principles, states its main objective as "the attainment
-
Myanmar - Country in Southeast Asia
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has a population...
-
Yangon General Hospital - Hospital in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
The Yangon General Hospital is a major public hospital in a 14-hectare compound in Yangon, Myanmar. The 2,000-bed hospital consists of seven medical wards, three surgical wards, two trauma and orthopaedic wards, and 28 specialist departments for inpatient
-
Aung San Suu Kyi - State Counsellor of Myanmar
Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The first and incumbent State Counsellor of Myanmar, she is also the leader of the National League for Democracy and played a vital role in the state's tran
-
Yangon - City in Myanmar
Yangon, also known as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government relocated the administrative functions to the purpose-built capital city o
-
Ukraine - Country in Europe
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which borders it to the east and northeast.
-
Russia - Country
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Covering an area of 17,125,200 square kilometres, it is the largest country in the world by area, spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth's in
-
Syria - Country in the Middle East
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
-
Lebanon - Country in the Middle East
Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lies west across the Mediterranean Sea.
-
Sudan - Country in North Africa
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in North-East Africa. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, Libya to the northwest, Chad to the west, the Central African Republic to the southwest, South Sudan to the south, Ethiopia to the southe
-
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Country in Central Africa
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Kinshasa, Zaire, DR Congo, DRC, the DROC, or simply the Congo, is a country located in Central Africa. It was formerly called Zaire.
-
Iran (Islamic Republic of Iran) - Country in the Middle East
Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a
-
Nigeria - Country in West Africa
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a sovereign country located in West Africa bordering Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west.