Humanitarian Health and Medical

Deliver comprehensive health programmes

We provide high-quality health services in some of the world’s most challenging contexts. Our work covers traditional fields such as first aid, war surgery, physical rehabilitation and health care in detention, while also expanding into primary health care, hospital care and mental health and psychosocial support. In so doing, we protect lives, reduce suffering and uphold human dignity.

Integrate health into protection and prevention responses

Health is central to humanitarian protection. We embed health activities in our wider protection and prevention efforts, tackling issues such as discrimination in access to care, the safety of medical staff, torture and ill-treatment, the needs of families of missing persons and sexual violence. This ensures that preserving health also safeguards rights and dignity.

Adopt a holistic public health approach

We address health needs alongside other essentials such as water, sanitation, housing and income. By combining health care with these areas, we create people-centred, sustainable responses that are better suited to complex humanitarian realities.

Collaborate with the Movement and other partners

We work closely with national health authorities, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Society partners and other organizations to strengthen the long-term availability and quality of health services. This collaboration ensures access to multidisciplinary expertise and reinforces local systems, while still delivering specialized care directly where it is most needed.

Programmes

• First aid and pre-hospital emergency care: Ensure that wounded and sick people receive safe, humane and effective treatment, and/or are referred to the right facility for further care.
• Primary health care: Guarantee a first point of access to health care for victims of armed conflict. Primary health care services rely on professionally trained staff to support care, treat common diseases, and carry out preventive actions such as child vaccination and ante-natal care for pregnant women.
• Hospital care: Support existing hospital structures, provide direct patient care, bring in medical supplies, enhance the capacity of local hospital staff and contribute to improving people’s access to hospital services.
• Health care in detention: Protect the life and health of detainees and to ensure that governments respect detainees’ dignity and right to health at all stages of detention.
• Physical rehabilitation: Strengthen services in a country, improve access for people with disabilities, enhance service quality and secure long-term viability, helping individuals fully participate in society.
• Mental health and psychosocial support: Address psychosocial, psychological and psychiatric problems caused or worsened by conflict. Programmes build local agency capacity, stabilize and improve patient mental health, and ensure the emotional well-being of affected individuals and communities.