FIMA Year Book 2009 - Federation of Islamic Medical Associations

The Conceptoutcomes of deviations in the utilizationof scientific and technological progress,of which the deviations in atomic energyutilization and environmental calamitiesare horrific reminders.The scientific literature has carefullydocumented the various types ofunethical deviations and misconduct inmedical practice and research.One such example took place 40 yearsin the city of Tuskegee, Alabama,USA. In this study, Afro-Americanpatients suffering from syphilis, wereintentionally left untreated from theearly 1930s to the late 1970s, in order tostudy the natural course of the disease inits various stages. (3)Another ethical dilemma took placemore recently in 2009. It is of paramountsignificance because it involves theglobal organization that is consideredthe world authority in setting up ofbioethical codes, namely the WorldMedical Association (WMA)!.WMA had formulated the Declarationof Helsinki in 1964 to uphold bioethicalstandards of research on humans, andthe ensuing Declaration of Tokyo in 1975included a section on the preventionof any participation of physicians inany torture, punishment or inhumantreatment of prisoners.Despite that, the president of the IsraeliMedical Association was elected as thepresident of WMA although there wasoverwhelming evidence to suggest theactive participation of Israeli physiciansin the torture of Palestinian prisoners. (4)In fact 725 physicians and researchers,including 114 professors, from 43countries signed and presented apetition to the WMA council in protestand demanded an investigation of theseallegations (5) . The petition was evidencebasedand was supported by documentsfrom various local and internationalNGO s demonstrating the complicity ofthe Israeli Medical Association in thepersecution of Palestinian prisoners..It is noteworthy that the doctors whoenthusiastically led the worldwidecampaign were from among British andother Western professors and medicalprofessionals under the leadership ofDr. Derek Summerfield. Until now, theWMA council has not responded to thispetition. (6,7)Medical Education and Tarbiyah:Medical education aims at the teaching,transfer and sharing of core knowledgeand the exploration of new medicalknowhow, technology and skills..Tarbiyah (moral upbringing), on theother hand, aims at building the properpersonality, human qualities and values,to enable the future medical professionalsand researchers to perform their vitalroles in human societies according tobuilt-in ethical codes and values.Tarbiyah functions to prepare the medicalstudent to receive medical education.However, the separation of teachingand tarbiyah has contributed to theproduction of unbalanced medicalpractitioners, with narrow, materialisticand self-centered conducts. (1)FIMA YearBook 200975