Doctors Link Health to Peace at IDPD Meet

HYDERABAD: The 13th Indian National Conference of Doctors of Peace and Development (IDPD), held at the IMA Hall in Hyderabad on May 16-17, reiterated that health is a fundamental human right and is increasingly being denied due to wars, militarization and diversion of resources from well-being.

IDPD delegates, affiliated with Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), warned that conflicts in Ukraine, West Asia, Sudan and elsewhere were destroying health systems and displacing populations. Officials have warned that any escalation of nuclear forces or attacks on facilities such as Zaporizhzhia could trigger irreversible ecological damage.

Speakers condemned the ongoing attack on Gaza as a grave humanitarian tragedy, citing the destruction of hospitals and the deaths of thousands of children.

The National Health Seminar highlighted India’s challenges in achieving universal healthcare. Rector of the Institute of Public Health Sciences, Dr. K. Srinath Reddy stated that insurance-based systems fail to cover outpatient care, which accounts for nearly 70 percent of healthcare expenditure, and drugs impose heavy costs on patients.

While Aituc general secretary Amarjeet Kaur criticized the new labor laws that marginalize workers, scientific committee chairman Dr. Ranga Reddy Burri said the talks focused on improving health equity and reaffirmed that war remains among the greatest threats to public health.