WMA advocates stronger ethical guidance, condemns Israel-Hamas war

The World Medical Association (WMA) has advocated for stronger “ethical guidance especially in these troubling times of unending conflicts, violence against physicians, and despicable attempts by some repressive governments to undermine the fundamental freedoms, professional autonomy and clinical independence of physicians.”

The Immediate past President of the WMA, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, made the call at the launch of Lancet Commission’s Report on Medicine, Nazism and the Holocaust, held in Berlin, Germany.

Dr Enabulele, who represented the WMA at the occasion via Zoom, assured of WMA’s strong commitment to strengthening her partnership with progressive bodies like the Lancet Commission.

“WMA remains committed to these ethical guidelines and will ensure they are continuously updated to remain relevant and to accommodate for changes in the research environment, medical technologies, and other changes that impact healthcare delivery/medical practice,” he stated.

Reiterating WMA’s “strong condemnation of the Hamas terrorist attack of Israel”, the Immediate Past President of WMA equally restated WMA’s “fervent call on all parties to cease hostilities and to adhere to the principle of medical neutrality.”

“It traces the development of medical research during the Nazi era and portrays individual perpetrators, as well as individual victims and imprisoned physicians, who, for example, treated their fellow inmates under the most agonizing conditions, including in concentration camps.

“The report illustrates the extent to which research carried out during the Nazi era continues to have an impact today. It is still so important to sensitize the medical profession to the extent to which many findings originate from this period. This report therefore provides an excellent springboard for the work we need to continue, going forward”.

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