A Crisis Killing Doctors You Should Know About

Nearly 700 medical workers have been killed in Syria since 2011.

Many of those deaths have occurred in the very places doctors, nurses, and paramedics are working to save civilians who have been wounded and killed during a conflict that has raged for four years. At least 313 attacks on health facilities have been reported through September, according to data collected by Physicians for Human Rights.

Hundreds of doctors, healthcare workers, and other advocates are demanding action to address the dangers faced by those trying to the mitigate the damage of a war that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee the country.

Dozens of bodies covered the sidewalk in midtown Manhattan as rush hour began on Thursday as part of a "die-in" protest staged just a block from the United Nations. The demonstrators wore white coats and held signs listing when and where each medical professional slain during the conflict died.

"We don't want more numbers," said one Syrian dentist, who used the pseudonym Dr. Majed out of concern for his own safety. "It's enough. Let's protect them."

Refinery29 spoke with doctors and advocates attending the demonstration, which included representatives from Physicians for Human Rights, the Syrian American Medical Society, and Doctors Without Borders, about why they were there and what can be done to protect those risking their own lives to save the lives of others. Click through to see their stories.