CONSIDERATIONS

CONSIDERATIONS

International Humanitarian Law (IHL) regulates humanitar - ian issues during armed conflict. Modern IHL is derived from a variety of sources, notably the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols, along with further specific regulations from the United Nations and The Hague Conv entions. IHL provides medical personnel with rights in times of armed war, but also assigns duties to them surrounding the rights of protected personnel under their care. Importantly , medical personnel are bound by medical eth - - ics and IHL to treat patients solely based on need and without regard for their nationality , race and class or their religious or political beliefs. Along with providing medical support to deployed forces, trea tment is o ff ered to both home nation and enemy combat - ants. The treatment of such patients may require a c hange in the approach to their definitive care. Evacuation of these Medical support roles ) may not be possible and the staged approach to care may need modification. Transfer to host nation medical facilities may be possible but dependent on local capability . This scenario may require an adaptation to clinical thinking. As an example, consider the ethical and logistical dilemma in performing revascularisation and orthoplastic procedures for a local patient in a countr y without rehabilita tion facilities. Medical personnel and facilities are protected under IHL and should not be attacked. However, the nature of modern conflict is unconventional; guerrilla warfare and the inability of deploy ed forces to define the enemy combatant requires the security of facilities and personnel to be of the highest priority . CONSIDERATIONS

International Humanitarian Law (IHL) regulates humanitar - ian issues during armed conflict. Modern IHL is derived from a variety of sources, notably the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols, along with further specific regulations from the United Nations and The Hague Conv entions. IHL provides medical personnel with rights in times of armed war, but also assigns duties to them surrounding the rights of protected personnel under their care. Importantly , medical personnel are bound by medical eth - - ics and IHL to treat patients solely based on need and without regard for their nationality , race and class or their religious or political beliefs. Along with providing medical support to deployed forces, trea tment is o ff ered to both home nation and enemy combat - ants. The treatment of such patients may require a c hange in the approach to their definitive care. Evacuation of these Medical support roles ) may not be possible and the staged approach to care may need modification. Transfer to host nation medical facilities may be possible but dependent on local capability . This scenario may require an adaptation to clinical thinking. As an example, consider the ethical and logistical dilemma in performing revascularisation and orthoplastic procedures for a local patient in a countr y without rehabilita tion facilities. Medical personnel and facilities are protected under IHL and should not be attacked. However, the nature of modern conflict is unconventional; guerrilla warfare and the inability of deploy ed forces to define the enemy combatant requires the security of facilities and personnel to be of the highest priority . CONSIDERATIONS

International Humanitarian Law (IHL) regulates humanitar - ian issues during armed conflict. Modern IHL is derived from a variety of sources, notably the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols, along with further specific regulations from the United Nations and The Hague Conv entions. IHL provides medical personnel with rights in times of armed war, but also assigns duties to them surrounding the rights of protected personnel under their care. Importantly , medical personnel are bound by medical eth - - ics and IHL to treat patients solely based on need and without regard for their nationality , race and class or their religious or political beliefs. Along with providing medical support to deployed forces, trea tment is o ff ered to both home nation and enemy combat - ants. The treatment of such patients may require a c hange in the approach to their definitive care. Evacuation of these Medical support roles ) may not be possible and the staged approach to care may need modification. Transfer to host nation medical facilities may be possible but dependent on local capability . This scenario may require an adaptation to clinical thinking. As an example, consider the ethical and logistical dilemma in performing revascularisation and orthoplastic procedures for a local patient in a countr y without rehabilita tion facilities. Medical personnel and facilities are protected under IHL and should not be attacked. However, the nature of modern conflict is unconventional; guerrilla warfare and the inability of deploy ed forces to define the enemy combatant requires the security of facilities and personnel to be of the highest priority .