Physicians and the Health Consequences of War March 17, 2022

JAMA Forum

The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995, was at the forefront of helping de-escalate the nuclear threat 30 years ago, a threat that we now see terrifyingly rear its head once again. Other physician-led organizations worldwide, including Physicians for Human Rights, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Swedish Physicians against Nuclear Weapons, are part of a global network of civil society organizations that are a critical counterweight to formal governmental bodies, shaping the global consensus within which consequential decisions are made. If the war in Ukraine has taught us anything, it is the imperative for more, not less, involvement of health professionals in civil society, to work toward embedding health as a central universal value, one whose import pushes back against any argument for engagement in war.