Actions taken:
In 2022, the Faculty of Military Medicine of the University of Defence launched a new course for Czech military medical personnel, which includes in-depth instruction in IHL rules linked to healthcare personnel, its facilities and transportation units, lectured by the Czech Red Cross representatives.
Based on the request of the Ministry of Health (“MOH”), the Czech Red Cross (“CRC”) has trained members of the Emergency Medical Team (54 people) in 8-hour courses focused on the basics of IHL for medical staff and ICRC recommendations for behavior of medical staff in areas of armed conflict or internal disturbances.
In 2023, the MOH in cooperation with the CRC has published a manual on Protection of medical workers, based on practical ICRC recommendations to enhance ambulance and pre-hospital services in risk situations. It explains rights and obligations of health workers under international humanitarian law and specifies concrete recommendations to eliminate risks to which the health workers may be exposed in the situation of armed conflict or internal disturbances (including a checklist of “to-do’s” and “not-to-do’s”). The MOH distributes the manual to providers of the Emergency Medical Service in the Czech Republic and it is likewise available at the website of the National IHL Committee (www.nsmhp.cz).