Military Medical Staff in a Conflict Area: Challenges and Obstacles

Abstract

This research systematically investigated the operations of military medical staff. Armed forces healthcare workers are essential for delivering healthcare services, yet they encounter many challenges working in conflict areas. Obstacles and challenges to their tasks were identified in this work to discover which ones were key in preventing healthcare delivery in combat-adjacent zones. The research was conducted by synthesizing appropriate secondary literature. Major topics identified and discussed were violence against healthcare staff, infrastructure breakdown, lack of staff, supplies, and equipment, patient-provider barriers, increased patient influx, politicized humanitarian aid, ethical conflicts, and a strain on mental health. Depending on the setting, these issues may be caused by logistic, political, and personal reasons. Together, these challenges often prevent the medical personnel from doing as much as they would ideally strive.