WHO warns of health crisis ‘unfolding in real time’ across Middle East
WHO warns of health crisis ‘unfolding in real time’ across Middle East
The World Health Organization’s regional head has emphasized that an immediate halt to conflict in the Middle East is crucial to prevent a health emergency from escalating further. Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean regional director, highlighted the urgent need to protect healthcare facilities, calling them “safe havens” amid ongoing violence. She noted that updated guidance is being prepared to address potential threats to nuclear sites, stressing that strikes on water desalination plants could lead to widespread devastation.
The region spans 22 countries and territories, including Iran, the Gulf states, Gaza, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Balkhy described the current situation as a “regional health crisis unfolding in real time,” affecting multiple areas. “This isn’t just about loss of life,” she said. “It’s a breakdown of healthcare access across various dimensions, far beyond what we anticipated.”
“The situation has been quite difficult for some time, but what we’re seeing today is just an actual regional health crisis unfolding in real time in multiple parts of this region,” Balkhy told the Guardian. “It’s not just about lives being lost. It’s about a collapse of access [to healthcare] in many, many dimensions way above and beyond what we would have imagined.”
According to official reports, the US-Israel conflict with Iran has resulted in over 1,000 fatalities in Lebanon, more than 1,500 in Iran, and 16 in Israel. Additional casualties were recorded in the West Bank and Gulf Arab states. Balkhy pointed out that chronic illness patients are facing treatment interruptions due to hospital closures and mass displacement, with 3.2 million people forced from their homes in Iran and over a million in Lebanon within a month.
She warned that the consequences of the war will persist even after fighting subsides. Concerns include rising maternal mortality, deteriorating mental health, and children becoming orphans without access to education. Balkhy expressed particular alarm over the risk of nuclear facilities being targeted, whether intentionally or by accident, and the resulting health fallout from a water shortage.
Speaking before Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization confirmed a projectile strike on the Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday, Balkhy reiterated the necessity for a major pause in hostilities. “My worry is driving me to prepare and to have my teams prepare. And that’s what we’re doing,” she said. The attack on the same facility on March 17 had already raised fears of a nuclear threat.
Iran’s threat to damage desalination plants was described by Balkhy as “a disaster,” potentially leaving millions in Gulf nations without clean water. The WHO is collaborating with other UN bodies to explore ways to reduce such a catastrophe if it occurs. She also mentioned the risk of contamination from oil or nuclear site strikes seeping into underground water sources, undermining any hope of alternative water supplies.
Balkhy stressed that healthcare must be shielded from attacks, urging a commitment to safeguarding hospitals, workers, and patients. “Let’s secure the healthcare sector. Let’s not attack hospitals, health workers, and healthcare facilities and patients,” she said. “Let’s have at least a safe haven for them.”
Despite the severity of the crisis, Balkhy noted that ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen are receiving less global attention. “It is very distressing because, behind that neglect, there’s a lot of hardship and death and sickness and illness and displacement that is going unrecognised,” she said. The recent attack on El-Daein teaching hospital in East Darfur, Sudan, which killed at least 70 individuals—including 13 children, two nurses, and a doctor—left the facility inoperable, underscoring the growing toll on medical infrastructure.
