Resolution 4 : Health Care in Danger: Continuing to protect the delivery of health care together | Power of humanity: Red Cross Red Crescent

National Society

Name, position and email of the focal person

Lotte Bernhard, legal adviser, lbernhard@redcross.nl

1. Which measures have you put in place in order to enhance the secure functioning of health care (personnel, facilities and medical transport)?

What strategies has your National Society adopted to promote and implement the HCiD recommendations throughout the country?

2. What concrete actions have you conducted to collect and analyze data related to violence against the wounded and sick, health care personnel and facilities, and medical transport? How did you use this information to develop practical measures to address such violence?

3. What actions have you taken to enhance your staff and volunteers’ understanding of the rights and responsibilities of health care personnel? In addition, have you implemented concrete measures (e.g. Safer Access Framework, “Stay Safe” toolkit, uphold and abide by the Fundamental Principles, etc.) to ensure the safety of health care delivery?

4. As an auxiliary to your government, what activities have you initiated with your government to promote and advocate efforts to address the issue of violence against the wounded and sick, health-care personnel and facilities, and medical transport?

1) The Netherlands Red Cross IHL department offers dissemination sessions on IHL to the public. Through its website, requests for a dissemination lecture can be sent to us, and our IHL-trained volunteers will fulfill the requests at schools, service clubs, student associations, etc. They also reach out to audiences themselves in order to reach as many people as possible. This way our team of 100+ trained IHL volunteers reach more than 6,500 people per year. Included in the dissemination session is reference to the Healthcare in Danger campaign, as well as the protection of medical personnel.
Our volunteers can also offer a new tool we developed, which is to play paintball by the rules of IHL. This includes a scenario where a player is wounded and is taken to the hospital: an example to teach audiences how the protection applies in practice. Please find a photo attached.

2) Our HQ’s legal advisor on IHL trains the specialists. This group includes military medical doctors, general military personnel in the course ‘Military Operational Law’, and military personnel at the School for Peace Operations, and the Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence; as well as (future) diplomats, and journalists. For the medical doctors, the entire lecture is devoted to IHL and the protection of medical personnel. This includes practical dilemmas. In the other specialist trainings, the protection of medical personnel is a core element, the Healthcare in Danger campaign is always mentioned, and the idea of perception in relation to neutrality is part of a discussion on the Movement’s role. We reach about 200 professionals this way. Herewith, The Netherlands Red Cross implements this resolution, and in particular clause 9.

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