Detention facilities, particularly in conflict settings, pose significant challenges for healthcare provision. These facilities, housing detainees, prisoners of war, or others in custody, often suffer from overcrowding, poor sanitation, and inadequate access to medical care. Unfortunately, medical planning within these environments is frequently insufficient.

The objectives are to (i) enhance medical planning in detention facilities within conflict settings (ii) support evidence-based definitions of care standards; (iii) identify the essential skills and competencies required by personnel to deliver optimal care in these constrained environments.

A mix-method approach will be employed in two phases: (i) a desk review to thoroughly understand current medical planning and standards of care in conflict-related detention facilities and (ii) Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with experts and stakeholders working in this field. Method triangulation will be utilized to strengthen data analysis.

Preliminary analysis shows gaps and inequality in health services provided to detainees in conflict settings, most of the time even neglected. Detention facilities must be included in plans for mass casualties, mass gathering and outbreak of infectious diseases, and strengthen the capacity, capability, collaboration and coordination between local authorities and medical teams working in these facilities.

Addressing health gaps in detention facilities requires a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach. The lack of inclusion of detention facilities when planning health responses in conflict settings, challenges coordination and collaboration between medical teams with local authorities and organizations working in these facilities compromising access to quality care for detainees.