The Wire

Aid organisations have issued a new international joint statement calling for global action to protect hospitals and health workers, particularly in armed conflicts. The call comes after a number of Medecins Sans Frontieres hospitals were bombed, leaving scores dead and regions across the Middle East without access to medical facilities. The organisations, including the Australian Red Cross, are urging States make every effort to investigate and condemn attacks against health-care personnel, facilities and medical transports that violate international law, including international humanitarian law.