HEALTHCARE professionals in the Middle East must be trained to handle new and unexpected types of injuries as novel weapons of terror threaten the region, said an expert.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre-Boston and Harvard Medical School Disaster Medicine senior fellow Dr Derrick Tin pointed out the emergence of counter-terrorism medicine (CTM) as a speciality due to the ‘increasingly complex healthcare impacts of terrorist events’.
He was speaking at the second Bahrain Emergency Medicine Conference (BEMC) 2021, being held virtually at the Crown Prince Centre for Medical Research, Riffa, yesterday.
In a study titled Terrorist Attacks in the Middle East: A Counter-Terrorism Medicine Analysis, Dr Tin said the Mena region – historically considered as one unit by international economic and academic organisations – needed a ‘unique’ CTM analysis, individualised to each specific country.
“Healthcare systems and professionals as well as security and intelligence agencies should be aware of the historic and potential attack methodologies, and understand the unique death and injury patterns that come with the various target types of weapons used,” said Dr Tin.
“While retrospective studies provide enormous educational benefits, CTM specialists also need to be forward-looking and anticipate the nefarious use of novel and emerging technologies.”
Global Terrorism Database reveals 41,837 attacks in the Middle East between 1970 and 2019, accounting for 24.9 per cent of all terrorist strikes around the world.
A total of 100,446 deaths were recorded during this period which also saw 187,447 non-fatal injuries. Fifty-six per cent of all attacks in the region occurred in Iraq (23,426), 9.4pc in Yemen (3,929) and 8.2pc in Turkey (3,428).
Attacks
Of the attacks, 37.6pc targeted private citizens and properties (15,735), 15.4pc were aimed at police (6,423), 9.6pc at other businesses (4,012) and 9.6pc at governments (4,001).
Explosives were used in 68.4pc attacks (28,607) while firearms constituted 24pc (8,525).
A total of 24,975 attacks were attributed to unknown perpetrator groups, 5,276 to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), 2,148 to Houthis and 1,543 to Kurdistan Workers Party.
“Terrorist attacks can affect both demand for and provision of healthcare services and often places a unique burden on first responders, hospitals and health systems,” said Dr Tin, adding that the study aimed at an epidemiological description of all attacks.
Dr Tin
He pointed out the emergence of non-conventional weapons used by terrorists like unmanned aerial systems, unlike explosives and firearms which were primary attack modalities in the Middle East.
“Chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear attacks are rare but remain significant threats today,” he said.
“The ISIS and Houthi rebels have already demonstrated alacrity and capability to deploy unmanned aerial systems for operations.
“And this poses a real risk on bigger communities, given the long range of these new weapons. Steps must be taken to prepare healthcare systems to deal with any unexpected incidents resulting from these novel attack methods.”
He also added that experts predict a surge in terror activity as the world emerges from lockdowns and restrictions.
“These are often intertwined with deteriorating healthcare systems – with high burnout rates among physicians, nurses and other medical professionals in the region associated with harsh work conditions, stress and exposure to violence and conflict.
“Healthcare workers have always been at the forefront of response to terrorist attacks.
“But despite that, its effect on them has been very limited in the literature.”
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