Human Rights of Health Workers in S. Asia

1. Sri Lanka:

• Doctoring the evidence

by Rajan Hoole (Himal Southasian, August 2009)

Colombo’s recent detention of and apparently coerced recantation by several Tamil doctors

• A UN Video on the situation of the Sri Lankan Doctors who were arrested from the No Fire Zone as the war wan ending in Sri Lanka (United Nations Webcast, 15 June 2009)

• Sri Lanka doctors to be tried (BBC, 4 June 2009)

• Appeal to free Sri Lanka doctors (BBC News, 19 May 2009)

2. Pakistan:

• Women doctors and nurses have been told to observe strict segregation in hospitals (in War Against Women, Al Ahram Weekly, 11 February 2009)

• TTP warns NWFP doctors over dress (May 6, 2009, The News)

• Taliban Threaten Doctors in Peshawar against Wearing Pant-Shirt (May 8, 2009)

• Doctors Protest Against Threats from the Taliban (May 16, 2009 Reuters)

• In early summer 2007, and even despite the absence of formal legislation prohibiting female nurses from working, the nurses of the District Headquarter Hospital, Dir received threatening letter from the unknown elements ordering them to leave their jobs, which they considered immoral. Through this letter, you are warned to resign and vacate the hospital and if it is not done, the bomb blasts shall be carried out in the hospitals and you will be responsible for the casualties, read the letter. (Daily Pakistan; May 10, 2007)

3. India Administered Kashmir:

• Home to a Violent Kashmir by Basharat Peer (Forbes, 11 October 2008)
A report partly describing how on 11 August 2008, soldiers burst into a major hospital (in the capital of Kashmir) and fired tear gas into the emergency ward.

4. Afghanistan:

• Doctors die after UN becomes Taleban target (15 September 2008, The Times, UK)