Political Activism and Medical Neutrality: How Collective Identity of Volunteer Health Workers Impact on Health Care Delivery System in Conflict Areas

Abstract

It is believed that basic social services such as primary health care should be provided efficiently to the people – and by efficiently, it should be understood that accessibility should be one of the main concerns. There are places in the Philippines where the geographic location proves to be a hindrance for people to access this basic social service. In some cases, even the government is unable to provide the service which all of its constituents rightfully deserve. It is, however, advantageous to the people in need that there are persons and groups who wish to provide certain services for free. However, these people face a number of challenges aside from the fact that the people whom they wish to serve are located in far flung places. Motivated by the researcher’s experience in a medical mission set at a location with the constant threat caused by the presence of the military and other armed groups, as well as shared stories from other volunteers, the researcher found it substantial to explore how conflict influences the involvement of health workers in medical missions. Viewing volunteer health work as part of a general social movement, the researcher will focus on the idea health workers’ roles such as providing neutral aid while being politically active in the context of conflict areas. While there is the idea that health workers are expected to be neutral in providing aid because of their profession, the context of conflict brings about a need for certain degree of activism from them that would maximize the assistance and service they provide to the people. [Introduction]