CEOM statement - Ethical and deontological issues in times of conflict
In light of the escalating armed conflicts around the world and their devastating impact on human life, public health and healthcare systems, the European Council of Medical Orders (CEOM) strongly reaffirms that peace is not a mere aspiration but a major determinant of health.
From its origins, medicine has been based on compassion, solidarity, and the protection of human dignity.
Given the moral authority they hold and the trust placed in them by society, physicians have an ethical, deontological and humanitarian duty to speak out in defence of human life and health.
In the spirit of European unity, the CEOM states that:
International humanitarian law and the Geneva conventions must be respected, as must the WMA’s resolutions on this issue.
Attacks on civilians, physicians, medical personnel and healthcare facilities as well as the abuse of medical facilities, vehicles and symbols for military purposes during conflicts, violate humanitarian law.
Safe corridors must be established and be fully protected to enable the delivery of healthcare.
The continuity of essential care must be guaranteed to all in all circumstances.
All patients should always be treated without any discrimination following the ethical principles of dignity, equity and justice.
Peace must be sought as it is a major universal determinant of health.
European Day against violence towards physicians: a call for zero tolerance
On 12 March 2025, the European Day against Violence towards doctors and other healthcare professionals will once again mark the mobilisation of the medical community against a scourge that continues to worsen across Europe.
Initiated by the European Council of Medical Orders (CEOM), the aim of this day is to denounce the growing violence faced by healthcare providers and to reaffirm the urgent need to step up action to end it.
CEOM has been taking concrete action against such violence for several years. In 2017, a European Observatory on Violence against Physicians was established, followed by the creation of a European awareness day in 2020. In 2023, CEOM adopted a standardised European form for reporting assaults, drawn up in cooperation with medical organizations in member countries. The aim of this tool, which is the result of collaboration between the participating medical organisations, is to better identify the causes and consequences of such violence and to develop more effective prevention policies.
The data available underline the urgency of the situation. In Spain, 847 assaults on doctors were recorded in 2024, the highest number since the creation of the National Observatory on Violence against Physicians in 2010. And this figure reflects only part of the reality, as most attacks go unreported and unpunished.
Other European countries are seeing an increase in the number of incidents reported, in line with a trend that has been observed at European level for several years. In France, 1,581 incidents were recorded in 2023, and 2,359 in the same year in Portugal. Belgium, Germany, Italy and Greece also reported rising figures.
This phenomenon, which affects all healthcare professionals, threatens not only the safety of caregivers, but also the quality of care and the proper functioning of healthcare systems.
In this context, the CEOM renews its call for zero tolerance of any form of violence against health professionals. It fully supports the mobilisation of doctors on 12 March 2025 to defend the relationship of trust between carer and patient, which is essential to all care.
The CEOM encourages and supports national legislative initiatives aimed at guaranteeing safe and dignified working conditions for all practitioners and calls for a coordinated response at European level.
Society must take care of those who take care of it.
