Medical Peace Work Case: Hospital in Conflict Zone
2015
This case is based on a real-life situation in an area affected by armed insurgency in Asia. The first in a series of case studies by Medical Peace Work (MPW), Bridging the Divide: Crisis at the District Hospital identifies how divergent positions, interests, and values affect concerns about equitable health care services. It focuses on health care staff tensions at a staff meeting two months after a bomb attack on a government district hospital on the front line of the armed conflict. The main protagonist, Dr Samoe, faces the dilemma between the high security practices that are necessary following the conflict and the hospital's impartiality and aim to provide equitable health care. The underlying tensions in the staff meeting represent a microcosm of the wider communal conflict between Buddhists and Muslims in the areas of armed insurgency beyond the hospital grounds. Dr Samoe asked his staff to submit written suggestions about how to improve relations with the local community, to extend the hospital’s outreach, and to secure the safety of the staff. A teaching note is available to registered educators and PhD students through the Case Centre.
Medical Peace Work (MPW) cases are developed by a transnational cooperation between medical organizations, teaching institutions, and related partners with expertise in health work, violence prevention, and peace building. MPW also offers a number of online courses and a collection of teaching resources for medical peace education.
Medical Peace Work Case: Hospital in Conflict Zone
Source:
Boegli LC, Arcadu G. Bridging the Divide: Crisis at the District Hospital (A) Breaking the Barriers (B). Medical Peace Work Case Study 01 (MPW3-15-01). Medical Peace Work 2015. http://www.medicalpeacework.org/teaching-resources.html.