The World Health Organisation says more than 10,400 attacks on healthcare facilities have been recorded across 29 countries and territories since 2018, killing over 5,700 people and injuring 8,500 others.
WHO said in the first seven months of 2026 alone, attacks on healthcare left more than 900 people dead and over 1,400 injured, with Ukraine, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory and Myanmar worst affected.
Nigeria has not been spared, with hospitals, ambulances and health workers repeatedly coming under attack, particularly in the North-East, where insurgency has damaged facilities and driven medical staff from their posts. The WHO, alongside the International Committee of the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières, has stressed that protecting healthcare workers and facilities is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law.
