Physicians Have a Duty to Treat the Enemy

March 23, 2022

(Medscape) – The Geneva Conventions (four treaties signed in 1949, at the end of WWII, and three additional protocols signed in 1977) establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in times of war, including health assistance. They assure protection to the wounded and sick and to civilians in and around a war zone. Of course, they are aimed primarily at protecting those who are attacked from the cruelty of the aggressor, and there is plenty of evidence that the Russian military campaign is breaking the rules of the Geneva Conventions by targeting hospitals and health facilities. But does this allow the international medical community to cut ties with the Russian health system, preventing drug companies and the health industry from sending their goods to the country of the aggressor? In my view, the answer is no. (Read More)