Reality Bites
Medical Ethics
DR MOLLY JOSEPH, COORDINATOR
WRITES ON
MEDICAL ETHICS SHATTERING REALITY OF A NOBLE PROFESSION
This refers to a medical meddling that has shocked human conscience.
In Kerala, one upright Doctor has filed a case in the Court of Judicial First Class Magistrate against a prominent private Hospital in Cochin. The court has initiated criminal proceedings against the hospital and 8 Doctors for the offence of unauthorised removal of organs of a young 19 year old accident victim. The decision by the court came on the Doctor’s complaint alleging denial of proper treatment to the accident victim, declaring him ‘brain dead’ without following due procedure and transplanting his organs into a Foreign National in violation of the Law.
The court said it was of the view that “there is a Prima facie
Case and sufficient grounds for proceeding in respect of offences under the ‘Transplantation of Human Organs Act’ against all the accused.”
We await the verdict after the Judicial process sets in, to see the case in a clear picture.
Cases of this sort are rising up in various parts of the world and Ethics especially in the Field of Medicine has to be taken up with all force of implementality and seriousness.
How mean can be man’s ways of making money! While we acknowledge the dedicated and sincere services of a large number Doctors, this case is just an eye opener to an emerging group of dehumanised young generation of Doctors who having invested so much of money into their Medical Education, become easy prey to the Medical lobby keen on “killing than on saving” to make money. Sheer money minded Doctors…who work for
squeezing maximum from the patient through
unnecessary expensive tests, Doctors serving, promoting medical companies and their sale of medicines, thus keeping the patient an eternal patient to their benefit. The Medical field is a thriving business now capitalising on human ailments, aggravating it, complicating and sustaining it.
A vicious circle!
This is an area that should be addressed effectively by
International Academy of Ethics unless average human lives are crushed up on, so miserably, mercilessly.
Although many stipulations are there to the questions raised below, we need a solution without any loophole.
1.What is brain death?
2 Is it a reality?
3. How can a hospital confirm it?
4. What right the ordinary man can have to get convinced of it?
5. How the Organ Donation part is connected so close to it. Why the hurry?
6. Why while taking MBBS , the students are not well trained on its basic Ethics as a socially reach out humane act of human kindness and healing, not a means of making money.
7. Though there are a good number of Doctors with commitment they are short numbered by the emerging generation who run rough shod over the average man’s basic rights of existence.
8. To stem in the rot, where should actions begin?
High time we sought out answers for these questions.