Sadly globally we are continuing to witness catastrophic harm to children and the vulnerable in War and Conflict.
In the UK last week I was proud to be a part of a process where a Fellow Senior Member of the Royal College Of Paediatrics and Child Health to forward a motion to protect the Rights of the Children of Gaza at the Annual General Meeting. This motion concerned a particularly sensitive issue and the discussion was conducted in a thoughtful and respectful manner. A total of 808 members voted. 640 of these voted in favour, 146 against and 22 abstained. So, by a majority of 81.4% to 18.6%, the motion is passed.
I feel it is important that Health Professionals globally appreciate their responsibility to continue to advocate at all levels for the protection of lives and to enable all to receive appropriate healthcare, irrespective of their race, religion, ethnicity or background and to protest against the wrongful killings of aid workers and healthcare professionals.
Medical Colleges have a powerful voice and we would like to encourage folks to bring forth such issues to their respective Colleges, globally and be united as health professionals.
Shiela C Puri
Retired Consultant Paediatrician
'Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.'
HIFA profile: Shiela Puri is a Consultant Paediatrician at St James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK. Her interests include paediatrics/child health, complex disability and neuro-development. s.puri AT btinternet.com