UKHPRC Statement of Support for RCPCH Leadership on Gaza

The Paediatric Arm of the UK Healthcare Petition to Royal Colleges (UKHPRC) for the Gaza Crisis, wish to publicly

acknowledge and commend the leadership shown by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)

and its President, Professor Steve Turner, in responding to the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

The College's public statements on 23 May and 27 May 2025 marked a necessary and significant shift in tone,

recognising the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic,” condemning the failure to provide humanitarian aid, and calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. These steps were widely welcomed across the paediatric community and reflect the ethical and humanitarian responsibilities that define our profession.

We particularly welcome the recent joint letter to the Foreign Secretary, dated 4 June 2025, co-signed by medical

Royal Colleges. The fact that RCPCH's name appeared first on this statement is deeply meaningful. It signals the

College’s willingness to lead, not just speak, on matters of international humanitarian concern, especially where

children’s lives, health, and dignity are at stake. In a moment where silence has too often been the path of least

resistance, this visible act of leadership matters.

We are also grateful for Professor Turner’s direct engagement with our group, including his willingness to meet and

discuss how the College might further strengthen its position and align with the demands articulated in our petitions to Royal Colleges, which now carry over 7000 signatures of healthcare professionals from across the country.

In our correspondence and upcoming meeting, we continue to call for action that addresses the root causes of

collective past inaction across healthcare domains, advocates for the protection of healthcare workers, facilities, and our colleagues on the ground in Gaza, and creates a framework that effectively engages the paediatric community in current and future conflict zones where children bear extreme suffering.

As regulated health professionals, we are bound by our duty to protect and safeguard children, wherever they may be. Our position is grounded not in politics, but in the ethical principles that define our profession: honesty, integrity, respect, equity, and fairness. These values compel us to speak out when children’s lives, wellbeing, and futures are at risk. Advocacy in the face of preventable suffering is not optional; it is our professional responsibility to stand up for the vulnerable.

We stand ready to work collaboratively with RCPCH to ensure the College continues to uphold the spirit of the

overwhelming vote at the March 2025 AGM in support of children’s rights in Gaza. The moral clarity and public

leadership demonstrated so far are essential first steps, and they must be sustained and expanded.

We extend our sincere thanks to Professor Turner and the College. Leadership in moments of crisis is not only

necessary, it is historic.

Kind regard

UK Healthcare Petitions to Royal Colleges - Paediatric Arm

CareinConflict.org

Organisers

Dr Barrak Almoosawi – Paediatric Specialty Training, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK

Dr Katrina Roberts – Paediatric Specialty Training, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK

Dr Olivia Vass – Paediatric Specialty Training, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK

Dr Emily Botcher – Paediatric Specialty Training, Stratford, West Midlands, UK

Dr Fizz Izagaren – Paediatric Specialty Training, London, UK

Dr Bryony Hopkinshaw – Paediatric Specialty Training, London, UK

Dr Leila Khosravi – Paediatric Specialty Training, London, UK

Dr Rosalie Cattermole – Paediatric Specialty Training, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK

Dr Madeleine Oliver – Paediatric Specialty Training, London, UK

Dr Amy Nuttall – Paediatric Specialty Training, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK

Dr Sakinah Said Ali – Paediatric Specialty Training, Hull, Yorkshire, UK

Dr Joseph Campbell – Paediatric Specialty Training, Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK

Dr Surya Dhulipala – Paediatric Specialty Training, Blackburn, Lancashire, UK

Dr Anastasia Kyrina – Paediatric Specialty Training, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK

Dr Georgina Ndukwe – Paediatric Specialty Training, London, UK

Dr Tayyib Mubashar – Paediatric Specialty Training, Walsall, West Midlands, UK

Dr Dhivya Prasad – Paediatric Specialty Training, Chester, Cheshire, UK

Dr Khairul Ain Binti K. – Paediatric Specialty Training, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK

Dr Frankie Bell-Davies – Paediatric Specialty Training, London, UK

Dr Abdul Qader Ismail – Paediatric Specialty Training, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK

Dr Jasmine Fulcher – Paediatric Clinical Fellow, London, UK

Dr Nadia Abdulla – Paediatric Specialty Training, North East and London, UK

Dr Farah El-Sharnouby – Paediatric Specialty Training, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK

Dr Ghaida Odeh – Paediatric Specialty Training, Stoke-on-Trent, West Midlands, UK

Dr Saharwash Jamali – Paediatric Specialty Training, Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK

Dr Arwa Al-Robeye – Paediatric Specialty Training, Glasgow, West Scotland, UK

Dr Manaf Yusuf – Paediatric Specialty Training, Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK

Dr Vinodhini Clarke – Consultant Paediatrician, Warwick, West Midlands, UK

Dr Marylyn Emedo – Consultant Paediatrician, London, UK

Dr Katy Rose – Consultant Paediatrician, Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK

Dr Fatima Zahir – Consultant Paediatrician, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK

Dr Sanah Ali – Consultant Paediatrician, Dudley, West Midlands, UK