ICN calls on Myanmar government to respect the rights of nurses and other healthcare workers
"Whenever there is a military coup, nurses and other healthcare workers come under intense pressure, not only from the demands of treating the sick and injured, but also because the increase in violent incidents put healthcare workers’ health and wellbeing in peril.
The coup in Myanmar on February 1, 2021 was no exception. It is clear from reports from prominent non-government organisations that the threats, intimidation and violence that is perpetrated on healthcare workers in such situations have been present in Myanmar.
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has sent messages of support to the nurses of Myanmar alongside our 130-plus National Nursing Associations.
ICN is deeply concerned about the targeted and deliberate violence against health workers and the devastating consequences of these disruptions to public health. While the global COVID-19 pandemic continues, the healthcare workforce is needed more than ever to ensure there is access to and safe delivery of essential health services.
It is difficult to imagine the stress and fear that Myanmar’s nurses are under when performing their professional duties at this time, and our hearts go out to them, to their healthcare colleagues and to the patients they serve.
ICN strongly condemns all forms of violence against healthcare organisations and their staff as they endanger the health and human rights of the people of Myanmar and are a violation of the Geneva Conventions. Health is a universal human right which creates legal obligations on governments that must be adhered to, even in situations of instability and conflict. In addition, nurses are bound by ethical rules, including ICN’s own Code of Ethics for Nurses, which states that they have four fundamental responsibilities:
- To promote health
- To prevent illness
- To restore health
- To alleviate suffering
The ICN Code states that the need for nursing is universal, and therefore it is offered to everyone, irrespective of their age, colour, creed, culture, disability or illness, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, politics, race or social status. It goes without saying that this also applies to the delivery of impartial healthcare services to the entire population of Myanmar.
The International Labour Organisation’s Nursing Personnel Convention states that nurses’ health and safety should be assured by governments. This is an international standard that must be adhered to, whatever the current political climate.
It is difficult to know exactly what is going on inside Myanmar at present, but undoubtedly nurses will be working to promote health, protect the sick and support their communities to the best of their abilities.
ICN stands alongside the international community in condemning any violence towards nurses and healthcare staff and calls for the respect and protection of healthcare workers. Five years after the United Nations passed Resolution 2286, which strongly condemned attacks against medical facilities and personnel in conflict situations, ICN advises that this should be fully implemented and embraced to prevent violence against healthcare and to protect the delivery of healthcare services.
ICN urges the Myanmar government, whichever form it takes, to adhere to its international obligations regarding the health and wellbeing of its precious healthcare staff."
Howard Catton, CEO, International Council of Nurses