Sources of, and barriers to, healthcare in armed conflicts

Armed conflict challenges healthcare providers by creating new threats to health and limiting healthcare resources. This article looks at some of the major armed conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries, and examines the specific threats posed to the health of populations affected, using the conflicts in Rwanda, the Western Balkans and Syria as specific case examples. Sources of healthcare resources are critiqued, and the relative advantages and disadvantages of humanitarian intervention versus humanitarian assistance are explored. The vulnerabilities and limitations of humanitarian assistance are identified, with special attention to examples from recent armed conflicts. Finally, this article discusses the challenges facing the international community in making collaborative decisions about the best providers of healthcare in armed conflict. These challenges include many competing interests and limitations of the United Nations as a primary body for making decisions regarding the legitimacy of humanitarian intervention.