Attachments
Hospitals Damaged, Supplies Looted Amid Ethnic Clashes in Manipur in 2023
GENEVA – The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) released a report identifying 24 incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care in Manipur, India, between May and November 2023. The report highlights the impact of ethnic violence that erupted between the Meitei and Kuki-Zomi ethnic groups in Churachandpur, Manipur on May 3, 2023 had on the health care system. The violence resulted in 219 deaths, thousands of injuries, and over 60,000 people displaced to relief camps. The state government was unable to curb the violence and as a result “Manipur is now divided into ethnic zones” by human-made borders, with the Meiteis in Imphal valley and the Kuki-Zomis in the hills. Divisions between these ethnic groups have become deep-rooted and ethnic armed groups have been revitalized.
Health supplies were looted on seven occasions. A notable incident occurred in August when a mob looted a health vehicle transporting vaccines for children. On May 4, multiple lootings were reported, including a gynecology clinic, a diagnostic center, and a hospital, all of which were targeted by various mobs. Several health facilities were also damaged or destroyed. Among these, a women’s rehabilitation facility was burned down and an explosion at the office of a chief medical officer partially destroyed an immunization and malaria prevention center. Health workers were also attacked with at least two killed, and several others assaulted or kidnapped. Incidents included a brutal public killing of an ambulance driver and the kidnapping of a nursing student. Road blockades prevented essential medicines from reaching those in need. These were largely attributed to ethnic groups and protest actions.
The ethnic conflict and creation of human-made borders have severely impacted access to health care. Kuki-Zomi civilians are particularly affected as they can no longer access hospitals in Imphal. Churachandpur's district hospital, the only one in the area, was overwhelmed and lacked necessary facilities and specialists. Patients requiring specialized care must travel to other states, which is not always financially feasible. The hospital faced shortages of resources due to disrupted supply chains, leading to the suspension of elective surgeries. Health workers, particularly Meitei doctors, were relocated due to safety concerns, resulting in understaffing and increased burden on the remaining medical facilities. The report underscores the severe impact of ethnic violence on the health care system in Manipur, highlighting the urgent need for interventions to restore and protect health services in conflict zones.
“The health system in Manipur had been showing signs of progress in recent years. Health care represented pluralism, tolerance, and ethnic diversity, serving as a means to bridge ethnic differences on a daily basis. Cross-border health tourism was also emerging in the years preceding the conflict. However, the conflict that broke out in 2023 signifies a breakdown of this interdependent social fabric, with health institutions and providers being attacked, making health a hidden frontline. While the full extent of the overall problem is still unknown, the ongoing humanitarian crisis, which has displaced more than 70,000 people, is further exacerbated by the increasing strains on the system. Blockades, counter-blockades, sporadic attacks on health providers, and obstructions to essential supplies are significant issues. These challenges are compounded by indirect burdens on the civilian population, including inability to access quality medical care available within the state capital and a high number of deaths among patients seeking health care outside the state and traveling under extremely difficult conditions. In order to mitigate the issue, there is a need for establishing humanitarian corridors and humanitarian ceasefires for enabling safe passage of patients and medical transports, ensuring unhindered safe passage for medical supplies throughout the state and ensuring safe access to Imphal Airport for cases of medical evacuation and critical emergency cases,” - Dr. Samrat Sinha, Jindal Global University
The data in this report is compiled from open sources and partner-agency contributions of information, date, time, and location of incidents of violence and obstruction of health care in 2023 and is based on the WHO definition of attacks on health care. Due to this methodology, there are some differences between SHCC’s numbers and other reports. Explore the incidents visually on this interactive global map.
Among the report’s recommendations are:
- The International Criminal Court and national courts, through principles of universal jurisdiction, should, at long last, initiate prosecutions for war crimes and crimes against humanity involving attacks on the wounded and sick and on health facilities.
- Governments should cease arms transfers to parties to conflict that engage in grave breaches of international humanitarian law.
- Ministers of Health should engage with their own military and security forces and armed groups to protect health care from violence and strengthen mechanisms to mitigate the impacts of attacks on communities, health workers, and the health system.
- Regional bodies and the UN humanitarian cluster system should expand initiatives to protect health care in conflict and mitigate the impact of violence against it.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Tim Bishop
REPORT LINK: shcc.pub/IND2023
PRESS RELEASE: shcc.pub/2023INDPressRelease
In its 11th annual report, Critical Condition: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict, the coalition documented 2562 incidents in conflicts across 30 countries, or regions within countries, or territories in 2023, a 25% increase from 2022, representing 500 more attacks than documented last year, and the highest ever since the Coalition began reporting “Violence against health care reached appalling levels in 2023, said Leonard Rubenstein, Chair of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) comprising more than 40 nongovernmental organisations. “Whether a product of recklessness, indifference, or intentional targeting, fighting forces’ contempt for the law brought catastrophic harm to those in need of care and the health workers and systems intending to aid them. The world fails to ensure accountability for this violence at its peril.”
The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition is a group of more than 40 organisations working to protect health workers and services threatened by war and civil unrest. It has raised awareness of global attacks on health and pressed United Nations agencies for greater global action to protect the security of health care. The SHCC monitors attacks, strengthens universal norms of respect for the right to health, and demands accountability for perpetrators.