War and conflict are major causes of human suffering. They also cause environmental degradation, perpetuate inequalities and undermine democracy. Nuclear bombs and other indiscriminate weapons of mass destruction are incompatible with the public health aims of safety and health protection.
But a vast complex of standing armies, militias, weapons manufacturers, arms traders and politicians promote war, violence and militarism out of self-interest and greed, or because they fail to see better alternatives for resolving conflict and disputes.
Health professionals have a long history of: providing humanitarian relief; facilitating ceasefires and the cessation of conflict; promoting disarmament and peacebuilding; and providing impartial evidence on the perpetration of war crimes.
Medact grew out of the medical peace movement and is the UK affiliate of the Nobel Laureate International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).
Medact continues to promote disarmament and encourage investment in nonviolent responses to conflict; seek the abolition of nuclear weapons; and reduce the power and influence of the global military-industrial complex. It promotes the universal right to health as a platform for peace building and more effective international diplomacy and cooperation.
Latest
Emergency Preparedness ─ COVID-19 was a failure, just imagine the fallout from a nuclear war
Junior Doctor, Bimal Khadaka, discusses the importance of strengthening the Planning and Mitigation phases of our global emergency control measures to prevent the harmful impacts of both pandemics and nuclear warfare
This is an uprising, but can it be a revolution….
This piece was written during the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement. In the wake of BLM protests and the global uprising against racism during a devastating pandemic, we are left thinking about what our society could look like - post hyperawareness of this...
Prevent duty in NHS ─ September planning meeting
An online meeting to discuss the ways that health workers can take action on issues related to the Prevent duty in the NHS.
CAAT Reading Group – Coronavirus & The Arms Trade
Watch our Peace and Security Campaigner, Reem Abu-Hayyeh, lead a reading group for our friends at Campaign Against the Arms Trade on the topic of Coronavirus and the Arms Trade.
Mind the Gap – healthcare disparities in UK prisons
In this blog, Dr. Tumbi Otudeko questions the provision of universal healthcare in UK prisons, discussing health disparities facing the prison population.