987 - The Disturbing War Strategy of Attacking Health Care

About this episode:

Attacking health care facilities and providers is becoming a standard strategy of war in places like Colombia, Lebanon, Ukraine, and Gaza, and it is increasingly being perpetrated by state actors. In this episode: Health and human rights lawyer Leonard Rubenstein discusses these disturbing trends, why there's so little accountability for attacks on health care, and what it would take to see meaningful progress.

Guests:

Leonard Rubenstein, JD, LLM, is a lawyer who has spent his career in health and human rights in armed conflict. He is core faculty of the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights and the Berman Institute of Bioethics.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

• How attacking healthcare has become a strategy of war—British Medical Journal

• Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, 2024 Report

• Violence Against Health Care in Conflict: 2024 Report—Public Health On Call (June 2025)

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