Dialogue between health and human rights groups

for human rights work. Topics countries will receive the journal free. covered in these sessions included core Individuals in industrialised countries are invited to help underwrite the cost of this concepts and documents, and the challenges and strategies of modern public effort by subscribing at the sponsorship rate of$48 per year. The hope is that as health. The Francois Xavier Bagnoud Centre the circulation grows, the number of How health and human rights used to be was founded in January, 1993. Its work recipients in developing countries will be considered at best mutually exclusive and combines the academic strength of increased. at worst antagonistic was described by Dr research and teaching with a commitment Franois-Xavier Bagnoud Centre for Health and Human Rights is at 8 Story Street, Jonathan Mann, professor of health and to human rights activity and advocacy. human rights at the Harvard School of During the conference it launched the Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Public Health, in his opening address at quarterly journal Health and Hunzan ; the first International Conference on Rights. Selected health and human rights Health and Human Rights (Sept 22-24), experts and advocates from developing Peter Kandela organised by the Francois-Xavier Bagited University Hospital, Butare, in July. fields and noud Centre for Health and Human They interviewed Dr Claude-Emil RwaRights at Harvard University. Medical of Rwanda gaconza, who was at the hospital when the professionals have tended to think of killings started on April 20. He said human rights workers as creating unnecTelling the truth about the crimes of "Some of our doctors were colluding with essary barriers, while those in the human genocide committed in Rwanda is one the extremists; they expelled [the patients] rights field frequently thought of health way to start bringing about justice and a and chased them out of the hospital to be workers as being characterised by "corponew sense of national identity in the counkilled.... And they were the doctors in ratist self interest and lacking a social con- : try, says the UK-based human rights charge. In the morning they would go science or sense of responsibility", he said. organisation, African Rights. Its 400-plusaround doing their medical check, and Mann pointed to the early stages of the page report detailing how the genocide they would say: ’This person is healthy. HIV/AIDS pandemic, when the impulse was planned and carried out, naming Out, out!’ An order is an order. So they of some politicians and health officials was those responsible, and outlining the inefhad to go". to quarantine infected people or fective response of the international comBut the report points out the motives those suspected of harbouring infection to munity was published last week.’1 It behind some of the complicity: "some mandatory testing, whereas the first describes through first-hand accounts the doctors went along with the killers to save instinct of human rights specialists was to massacres, the hunting down of individual themselves, and in the hope of saving at take steps to protect individual liberty. Tutsis, the attacks on schools, hospitals, Peter Hall is quoted Although Mann acknowledged that rights and churches, the rape and abduction of least some patients". in the as saying: "It is too easy, livreport may have to be set aside temporarily for women and girls, and the violence against ing in a country with a long tradition of the sake of public health, he was adamant children (panel). The organisation profree speech, to criticize colleagues without that the best way forward is to find vides evidence for violation of medical ’.,this privilege. Moderate Hutus were approaches that maximise both health and neutrality and of the protected status of among the first to be singled out to be human rights. : and medical staff. hospitals, patients, killed by the death squads. Nevertheless a The conference was well attended The report also draws attention to the doctor cannot continue to practice medidoctors from the developing world, and it "disturbing" number of health-care procine in any ethical sense while genocide is was clear that their emphasis was on right fessionals implicated in the killings. Dr taking place about him-it is a contradicof access to basic health care for all, Casimir Bizimungu who took over as mintion in terms and as a notion it is whereas those from the developed nations ister of health in the interim government obscene". were more concerned with the rights of is described as someone who "profoundly: According to the report, a priority in minorities. During the session on chronic that a minister of the future for Rwanda is the establishbetrayed everything diseases, for example, Dr Eva Njenga of health should stand for". : ment of an enforceable framework of ethiKenya emphasised the importance of Dr Peter Hall and Dr Andrew cal standards for health professionals. making insulin available for diabetics, of for Human visAfrican Physicians Rights (UK) Rights suggests the setting up of whereas Prof Margaret Sommerville of two from interviews : organisations-a regulatory body creCanada called for any doctor who does Excerpts ated by the new government to supervise not give adequate pain control to the ter"Early Thursday morning, soldiers and : training, ensure adherence to internationminally ill to be charged with a criminal interahamwe (militia) arrived at the hospital. : standards of professional offence. Many delegates found it helpful They brought truckloads of corpses and : ally agreedand behaviour, investigate those health to move on to identify common concerns wounded people who had been thrown on top who are suspected of having of each other. Between 7.00-10.00 at : professionals am, within this diversity. There was overleast thirty lorries arrived with the bodies, in the killings; and an been : complicit whelming disapproval of female circumcidead and alive, of men, women and children, : independent medical association run by sion and the involvement of doctors in including tiny babies. The dead, including the health professionals. "Such an association this practice. : women, had been killed without pity. They can also encourage solidarity-both inside The success of the conference derived ’., called out to the staff to ’Come and : and Rwanda internationally-among not only from the contributions of the look’..."-Catherine Mukarwego, a nurse. and other health staff who those doctors main speakers but from the opportunities tried to save lives withhave courageously "Interahamwe and soldiers were always : provided, for the first time on such a scale out fear or favour, and those who have of in and out the patients coming taking : for medical and human rights workers to hospital to be killed, especially men. They : themselves been victims of the extremists’ meet and exchange views and informa: would take women with very light wounds or violence." tion. atten-

building"

Dialogue between

health and human

rights groups

Killing hospitals

killing

subject

by

Carney

!

Questionnaires completed by

,

ders about their areas of interest and expertise and the contacts they wished to make for future developments were distributed, to enable the work begun to be carried on beyond the conference. In addition, there were sessions on "skill-

who had come to look after relatives out of the women’s tent to be raped. They raped them near the hospital. Some women

women

came

back after

one

night. But

some never

back; they either abducted or killed them.’—Agnes Ndabubaha Kansime, a patient. came

: :

Sarah

Ramsay

1 Rwanda: death, despair and defiance. Available from African Rights, 11 Marshalsea Road, London SE1 1EP, UK.

£14.95.

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