In the aftermath of armed conflict, visible scars, damaged infrastructure, displaced communities and destroyed economies often dominate the narrative. But beneath the surface lies a quieter, often unnoticed crisis: targeted attacks on health systems and health workers and their far-reaching consequences.
At the University of Manchester, researchers are helping to shed light on this hidden toll through their involvement in the Researching the Impact of Attacks on Healthcare (RIAH) programme.
Funded by the UK government and developed in collaboration with several institutions, RIAH is an ambitious, interdisciplinary research effort aimed at closing a crucial knowledge gap. While global bodies like the United Nations have formally condemned such attacks (most notably through Security Council Resolution 2286 in 2016) the data and insight needed to address the issue meaningfully remain limited. That’s where RIAH comes in.
The programme doesn’t just count the number of attacks. It seeks to understand their long-term and systemic impact:
- How do these acts affect the resilience of health systems?
- What happens to communities when access to care is disrupted for years, or even decades?
- How can evidence inform policy to prevent future violence?
Through in-depth case studies, RIAH captures the complexity and context of each event, moving beyond statistics to create narratives that illustrate the real-life consequences of healthcare being weaponized. These stories, backed by rigorous data, aim to influence both advocacy and policy, ensuring that decisions about health security in conflict zones are informed by evidence rather than assumption.
Several staff members at the University of Manchester are deeply involved in this work, lending their expertise to a project that sits somewhere in between public health, international law, conflict studies and ethics. Their contributions help position Manchester not only as a center of academic research, but as a partner in global efforts to protect civilians and support human rights.
In a world where the lines between war and everyday life are increasingly blurred, RIAH’s mission is urgent and necessary. By shedding light on the cascading effects of attacks on health care, the project makes one thing clear: protecting hospitals and health workers is not only a moral obligation, it is essential to rebuilding peace.
If you’re passionate about using research to drive global change and want to study in a place where your work can have real-world impact, the University of Manchester offers the ideal environment.
Explore their programmes and join a community of students and scholars who are shaping a more just and resilient world.