Medical ethics is concerned with making ethical decisions in the sphere of human health. It is concerned with the distinction between what is deemed good and bad in a certain culture at a specific period. Medical ethics is concerned with doctors’ and hospitals’ responsibility to patients, as well as other health professionals and society.

Various ethical issues

• Increased commercialization leads to a loss of confidence between doctors and patients. For example, government hospital doctors who go into private practise and charge exorbitant fees to their patients.

• Anthropocentrism is a worldview that places humans at the heart of nature. It considers all other living species to be valuable only if they can be useful to people. Such idea was also challenged by Mahatma Gandhi.
• Genetically modified babies that are custom built according to the needs

• We are confronted with a typical utilitarian issue as a result of xenotransplantation. The problem is whether it is preferable to kill an animal in order to rescue a human being, or to save an animal in order to let the human perish.
• The animal rights movement has objected to these advances in medical science, of xenotransplantation, because it ignores the rights of animals. They are hostile to the idea of animal farms with genetically modified animals for the purpose of harvesting organs for humans requiring transplant.

Way forward

• Medical humanitarianism: Doctors’ morale must be strengthened. Regular training and assistance should be provided to doctors in order to instil a sense of sympathy and compassion.
• Strict adherence to norms and codes of ethics: There is a growing demand in hospitals and other healthcare settings for culturally sensitive clinicians and ethical committees.

The doctor–patient relationship is built on mutual trust and respect. However, fast advances in the medical sector, as well as the corporatization of the health-care system, have disrupted the long-standing positive ties between patients and doctors. As a result, both doctors and patients must uphold their legal, ethical, and moral obligations. A few of Gandhi’s Seven Sins – “business without morality” and “science without compassion” – underline the importance of resurrecting the spirit of medical ethics in India.

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/can-you-make-a-silk-purse-out-of-a-sows-ear/article65187503.ece

How to structure

1. Give an intro about the advancement in medical sciences and its effect on humans
2. Now explain the various ethics issues that are caused by medical advances on human societies, for example- genetically modified offspring
3. Suggest ways to ensure that medical advances are always beneficial and not cause any ethical dilemmas
4. Conclude