Iranian Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine

War Crisis and Challenges of Public Health Ethics

Bagher Larijani

War and its impacts on public health needs special attention and should be addressed at national and international levels. Considering inhuman attacks of Israel (occupying regime of Palestine) and American government on Iran in June 2025, which reportedly killed about 1000 people and injured many more, this supplement aims to raise ethical sensitivity and extend responsibility to the healthcare professionals and international organizations. Unfortunately, despite international agreements and conventions, we continue to witness war crimes against children, women, civilians, hospitals, and even genocide, for example in Gaza. Bioethics committees are also responsible to address ethical considerations of war and decrease its health consequences by calling the attention to war’s devastating effects on public health.

Cyberloafing in the Healthcare System During the 12-Day Imposed War: A Prospective Analysis of Ethical Challenges and Practical Solutions in Geopolitical Crises

Ali Asghar Jesmi

Cyberloafing, may increase significantly among healthcare professionals during geopolitical crises such as war. Heightened anxiety, constant news monitoring, and excessive social media use can distract staff from clinical responsibilities. The article recommends organizational, team-based, and individual interventions to reduce cyberloafing and maintain ethical, safe healthcare delivery during crises.

Ethical Management of War-Time Crises: Emphasizing the Role of Ethics Committees

Zahra Jafari

Contemporary armed conflicts, particularly in geopolitically sensitive regions, pose significant ethical challenges to public health and humanitarian systems amid advancements in military technology. Recent experiences, notably the Gaza war, illustrate that ethics committees lacking structural independence, transparency, and genuine commitment to human dignity may fail to protect civilian rights and risk becoming politicized entities. This letter to the editor underscores the critical need to strengthen the role of ethics committees in war crisis management by ensuring their structural independence, establishing transparent oversight frameworks, developing international guidelines for emerging military technologies, and fostering enhanced international cooperation. Strengthening these committees’ capacities can contribute to mitigating human suffering, facilitating sustainable post-war reconstruction, and rebuilding public trust.