Description

Founded in 1947 in direct response to the egregious ethical violations of physicians during the Second World War, the World Medical Association (WMA) is committed to promoting the highest level of ethical conduct among physicians at all times and throughout the world. The foundation of these efforts is formed by three core documents – The Declaration of Geneva: The Physician’s Pledge (DoG), the International Code of Medical Ethics (ICoME) and the Declaration of Helsinki (DoH).

 

The DoG was adopted by the WMA General Assembly in 1948 to outline the professional and ethical duties of the physician in a concise manner. This modern-day version of the Hippocratic Oath was most recently revised in 2017. The ICoME, which was adopted in 1949 and revised in 2022, details in broader terms the professional duties of the physician toward the patient, other physicians and health professionals, society, and more. First adopted in 1964 and currently undergoing a revision, the DoH highlights the ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects.

 

When revising these documents, the WMA, which is comprised of organizations representing over 10 million physicians worldwide, has always taken great care to ensure that a broad range of cultural and religious backgrounds are reflected in the respective workgroups tasked with analyzing and, where necessary, updating the ethical principles therein. In addition, the WMA has hosted a series of regional meetings on nearly every continent during each revision process to gather as broad a range of insights as possible. A plurality of interpretations, belief systems, and customs can pose challenges when it comes to achieving consensus on especially controversial ethical issues (e.g., physician conscientious objection), but it also contributes to the strength and staying power of the WMA’s core ethical documents. In a globalized world, it is precisely this plurality that is protected by a strong foundation of shared medical ethics. These documents aspire to reassure patients of all cultural and religious backgrounds that they will be treated fairly and justly and in accordance with good medical practice wherever and whenever they seek care from a physician. They provide a common ethical language that is intended to be understandable and applicable in different cultural and religious environments.

 

This session will provide an overview of the above-mentioned documents and the challenges and rewards of creating universal professional and ethical guidelines for a culturally and religiously diverse medical profession that is entrusted with the care of a culturally and religiously diverse patient population. It will also highlight how these aspects are being considered in the current revision of the DoH.


Speakers

  • Dr. Nancy S. Jecker, Professor & IAB President (2022-2024) University of Washington School of Medicine
  • Dr. Ramin Parsa-Parsi, Head of Department German Medical Association
  • Dr. Angela Ballantyne, Associate Professor University of Otago
  • Dr. Faryal Khamis, Senior Consultant Royal Hospital - Oman
  • Dr. Voo Teck Chuan, Communications Officer of the International Association of Bioethics
  • Dr. Ehsan Shamsi-Gooshki, Associate Professor Tehran University of Medical Sciences/Monash University
  • Dr. Otmar Kloiber, Secretary General World Medical Association
  • Dr. Gamal Serour, Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology / Director - International Islamic Center For Population Studies & Research Al Azhar University
  • Dr. Hassan Chamsi-Pasha, Consultant Cardiologist / Head of Non-Invasive Cardiology King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital
  • Dr. Urban Wiesing, Director - Institute for Ethics & History of Medicine University of Tübingen