Care as an antidote to war and destruction: the Italian doctors' Manifesto for Peace
No neutrality in the face of the denial of life: this is the basic principle of the decalogue approved in Perugia by the Federation of Orders, which reaffirms the importance of public and universalist healthcare systems and the right to assistance always and in any case
In times of ever increasing conflict, Italian doctors launch a Manifesto for Peace, which they deliver into the hands of the Custodian of the Sacred Convent of St Francis of Assisi, Fra Marco Moroni. "Being doctors today means taking on a historical, constitutional and European responsibility: to safeguard rights, relieve suffering, defend human dignity, build peace every day": this is the conclusion reached by the Manifesto "Doctors and Peace", approved by the Central Committee of the National Federation of the Order of Physicians, Surgeons and Odontologists (Fnomceo) and signed in Perugia, on the occasion of the Conference "Cure without Fear" dedicated to the Day against Violence against Health Workers.
From the war in the wards, outpatient clinics and emergency rooms, in short, to the war that is also increasingly oppressing the West, between the four-year conflict in Ukraine, the ceaseless violence in Gaza and the West Bank, and now the almost two-week crisis after the 28 February attack on Iran by the US and Israel. "We are on the brink of an abyss because of this war in the Middle East that makes us all more fragile and insecure," says Fnomceo president Filippo Anelli.
The cure as a gesture of peace
'In times of peace as in times of war' once read the Code of Medical Ethics, referring to the doctor's duty to treat everyone, without discrimination. Now the Federation's Manifesto recalls that 'treating in war does not mean accepting it'. On the contrary, it means 'opposing its logic, affirming that every person remains a holder of rights and dignity even in conflict'. After all, the document goes on to stress, 'every medical act is an act of peace' and 'to cure without discriminating means opposing the inequalities that fuel conflict', just as 'to promote health means building the future and strengthening democracy'.
Health systems with a universalist vocation are infrastructures of peace - the Fnom stresses - because they make rights real, everyday and shared. War, on the contrary, represents the negation of peace, of rights, of human dignity.
He who heals is not a target
'Every medical act,' says Fnomceo President Filippo Anelli in presenting the Manifesto, 'is an act of peace. Because war destroys what medicine defends. War denies the dignity of the person. War affects hospitals. War turns places of care into targets. And when a hospital is bombed, when a doctor is killed while rendering aid, it is not only a violation of international law: it is a wound inflicted on the whole of humanity. We doctors cannot remain neutral in the face of the denial of life. That is why,' he explained, 'we present the Manifesto 'Doctors and Peace'. Not as a rhetorical act but as a declaration of responsibility. We doctors reaffirm that our profession cannot be separated from the defence of human dignity. We reaffirm that those we treat can never be targets. We reaffirm that public and universal health systems are infrastructures of peace. And doing so here, in this land that speaks to the world of fraternity, means making a commitment that goes beyond the news and beyond the emergency. It means saying that medicine is not just science: it is conscience. It means saying that care is not only technique: it is relationship. It means saying that peace is not only a wish: it is a responsibility. St Francis,' he concludes, 'taught us that peace begins with recognising the other person as a brother. Medicine does this every day. It does not ask who you are. It does not ask where you come from. It does not ask to which people you belong. With this spirit, with this awareness, we present the "Doctors and Peace" Manifesto. Not as a point of arrival. But as a commitment that continues".
The Manifesto
Seven are the points to which the doctors commit themselves, which, together with the three final statements - on care as a civil commitment, on the defence of human dignity as the foundation of peace, and on the assumption of responsibility by doctors as custodians of rights and peacemakers - constitute a veritable decalogue.
Doctors:
