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Integration
of Medicine and Ethics |
Second Symposium and Workshop on Clinical Ethics
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(L to R): Adil Salahi, Senior Lecturer, Islamic Studies, Markfield
Institute of Higher Education, UK; Professor Farhat Moazam,
Fellow, Institute of Practical Ethics, University of Virginia,
USA; Dr. Rehana Kamal, Chair, Hospital Ethical Committee, AKU
and Dr. Paul Lombardo, Director, Program in Law and Medicine,
Center for Biomedical Ethics, University of Virginia, USA. |
Clinical ethics aims to improve the quality of patient care by identifying,
analysing, and attempting to resolve the ethical problems that arise
in practice. This is a relatively new field in Pakistan, and at the
Second Symposium and Workshop on Clinical Ethics, held at Aga Khan
University on 7-8 October 2004, medical practitioners and scholars
deliberated on ethics as an integral part of clinical medicine. They
critically analysed pertinent moral issues in health to dispel the
notion that there is a dichotomy between values and medicine.
Dr. Rehana Kamal, Chair, Hospital Ethical Committee (HEC) traced the
development of HEC at AKU, including its terms of reference, education
of members and mandate. Dr. Kamal stated that the role of HEC, comprising
14 members and one chair, is advisory and confidential. She also said
that from January 2001 to December 2003, the committee has been consulted
on 36 cases with 72% cases dealing with end of life issues, Co's recommendations
were accepted in 97% of the cases.
Professor Farhat Moazam, Fellow, Institute of Practical Ethics, University
of Virginia, USA, talked about on 'Foundational Ethical Concepts in
Islam: The Qur'an, Abu Bakr al-Razi and Imam al-Ghazali'. As opposed
to contemporary ethical theories that ask "Is the act ethical", Dr.
Moazzam advocated virtue ethics, traceable to Aristotle, which focused
on "Is the acting agent moral"? She linked virtue ethics to Muslim
scholars and physicians who emphasised achieving moral excellence
through the cultivation of moral traits. She said that contemporary
bioethics' limitation is that it is grounded in the Anglo-European,
secular, rational philosophy while people derive their relativistic
moral values through a diversity of source. Bioethics needs to explore
indigenous cultural and religious value system and its moral comprehension
with reference to different societies.
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| Participants
at the workshop on Clinical Ethics. |
Dr. Paul Lombardo, Director, Program in Law and Medicine, Center for
Biomedical Ethics, University of Virginia, USA, spoke on the role
of ethical committees as well as the relationship between law and
ethics in his talk titled "Ethical parameters for a health care institution" Adil Salahi, Senior Lecturer, Islamic Studies, Markfield Institute
of Higher Education, UK, elucidated the concept of justice in Islam
with special reference to healthcare. He highlighted the role as well
as the responsibilities of government, hospital as well as the society
and the concept of Islamic justice.
The two afternoon sessions of the symposium dealt with end of life
issues and abortion. Speakers investigated diverse and pertinent topics
like "Controversies over end of life issues", "Sanctity of life and
death: The Islamic perspective" and "Care of dying patients: difficulties
and challenges in teaching". Abortion related issues included Islamic
perspective on abortion, abortion laws in some Islamic countries and
the reality of abortion in Pakistan through case studies.
The symposium was followed by a full day workshop on Clinical Ethics.
Objectives of the workshop were to enable participants to identify
and analyze an ethical dilemma, to understand a structured approach
in assessing issues of clinical ethics and to identify the difficulties
and effectiveness of the structured approach. Methodology of the workshop
was Case simulation and group work. 32 health care professionals participated
in the workshop.
Advances in Science and medicine have forged new frontiers resulting
in a tremendous increase in Ethical issues. The second symposium and
workshop of clinical ethics provided scholars, medical practitioners
and academicians ways to further understand and integrate ethics with
clinical medicine. 
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