Call to think about victims of conflicts

National

AS vaccines for the Covid-19 become available, people affected by armed conflicts should not be forgotten, an official says.
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) director-general Robert Mardini said health workers should know that victims in regions affected by armed conflict could have a difficult time getting the Covid-19 vaccine.
“These populations endure the double burden of conflict and the Covid-19 in often-forgotten and neglected areas,” he said.
“We believe that people there should have the same rights and access to the vaccine as others do.
“In conflict settings, poor health capacities due to the breakdown or destruction of health services, lack of health personnel, precarious infrastructure and severed road networks hamper vaccine distribution.
“Reaching frontlines and areas controlled by non-state armed groups brings complications such as difficult logistics, need for travel permissions and reduced availability of electricity and refrigeration.
“These measures and sanctions may impede access to these areas.”
Mardini said with the International Federation of the Red Cross, the ICRC would support Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies as they had a leading role in carrying out vaccination programmes and distributing the Covid-19 vaccine in their countries.
“Together with its movement partners, the ICRC is ready to contribute to the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine, especially in areas affected by conflict and areas along the frontlines, as well as in places of detention,” Mardini said.