After a long period of discussion and revision, the Code of Ethics for Chinese Physicians was finalized with 40 articles and a conference was held on June 25, 2014 in Beijing.
At the conference, the Code of Ethics for Chinese Physicians was officially announced to the public, calling on physicians to strengthen self-discipline in the profession and promote great medical excellence. "This is a guideline that is not mandatory and binding, but can be an internal moral appeal and self-discipline for physicians." Bai Yansong recommended at the meeting.
Leaders from the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the China Medical Doctors Association (CMA) attended the meeting, along with 100 physician and media representatives, including Zhang Yanling, president of the CMA; Yang Min, vice president of the CMA; Xie Qilin, deputy secretary-general of the CMA; Zhou Junjie, a member of the Ethics Construction Committee of the CMA, director and general manager of Shanghai Hohhuang Pharmaceuticals; a news commentator for China Central Television (CCTV) , Bai Yansong, member of the Ethics Construction Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctors Association, Mao Qun'an, director of the Publicity Department of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Guo Yinglu and Zheng Shusen, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Chen Keji, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other personnel.
Playing the main role of doctors
"Overseas industry organizations, including Taiwan and Hong Kong, have industry requirements and guidelines, and our country should especially play the main role of doctors in promoting the process of health care reform; secondly, the current doctor-patient relationship is not good, and we doctors can't ask patients to have greater trust in themselves, but should use their own ethical code to win the patients' trust." Zhang Yanling, president of the Chinese Physicians Association, at the conference. Mao Qun'an, director of the propaganda department of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, also appealed, "We expect the majority of medical personnel *** with respect to the Code of Ethics for Chinese Physicians, to build a harmonious doctor-patient relationship in the whole society, and to make greater contributions to improving the health of our people, and we also expect our code to play a more important leading role in the whole industry."
Introduction to the Guidelines
There are 40 articles in the Guidelines***, including five aspects: the basic guidelines, physicians and patients, physicians and peers, physicians and society, and physicians and enterprises. The first article of the Guidelines is "insisting on the patient's first priority and giving full respect to the patient". The Guidelines advocate that doctors should "listen patiently to patients' statements, establish a cooperative doctor-patient relationship with mutual respect," "communicate with patients in a language or manner that they can understand, and answer their questions as much as possible". Correctly evaluating one's own medical competence", etc.
In terms of the doctor-patient relationship, the Guidelines state, "Do not refuse to admit or discriminate against patients on the basis of their age, gender, marital status, political affiliation, race, religious beliefs, nationality, origin, physical or mental condition, sexual orientation or economic status. Physicians should not regard informed consent prior to surgery, special examinations and treatments as an exemption from liability or an initiative for self-protection. Physicians enjoy the autonomy to make technical decisions on patient prescriptions, treatments or referrals, and should take the initiative to seek a solution through relevant channels when the interests of the patient may be jeopardized and the physician himself or herself is unable to resolve the issue."
The Guidelines specifically state that physicians shall not participate in or accept banquets, gifts, tours, studies, expeditions, or other leisure and social activities that affect the impartiality of medical treatment, and that public welfare funding, clinical research, or academic promotion for enterprises shall be declared and explained in accordance with regulations. At the same time, it is clearly stipulated that physicians shall not conduct research contrary to science and ethics due to funding from pharmaceutical companies, and shall not market any medical products or conduct academic promotion for personal interests.
Bai Yansong asked, "Can morality alone solve all the problems?"
Bai Yansong spoke at the conference
Bai Yansong, a news commentator for China Central Television (CCTV), is one of the few public figures who continues to pay attention to and support the doctors' community, and the relevant remarks and articles about him speaking up for the doctors are widely circulated among the doctors' The remarks and articles about him speaking out for doctors have been widely circulated among the group and are well received by the doctors.
"The code of ethics for physicians has been changed over and over again because it involves too many socially sensitive issues, but after it was changed, it was found that it caters to many hot issues of the current era, which I think is very noteworthy." Bai Yansong, a member of the Ethics Construction Committee of the Chinese Physicians Association, said at the meeting.
Bai Yansong said that the 40 ethical guidelines for physicians announced have positive significance, "This is a guideline that is not binding, but can become an internal moral appeal and self-discipline for doctors, and I hope that doctors will adopt it as a guideline in practice." However, he also asked rhetorically: can morality alone solve all the problems? If relevant healthcare reforms are not implemented soon, how long can doctors last on this alone?
Bai Yansong believes that the medical system must provide the soil for doctors to practice these guidelines, and that large hospitals must be able to meet the needs of doctors to patiently listen to their patients' complaints, or else "the doctor will be able to listen to the patient for half an hour in accordance with the ethical guidelines, and then the next problem is not that the patient is in a hurry at all, but that the next patient will have to come over and talk to the doctor urgently, and this may even produce a conflict between the patient and the patient. generate a patient-patient conflict." So, lacking institutional support, a self-regulatory and ethical code alone is not much use and cannot be sustained for long.
Pressure on doctors in the transition period of social development
Shanghai Hohuang Pharmaceuticals' general manager Zhou Junjie spoke at the meeting
As a sponsor of the Medical Peace Foundation, Shanghai Hohuang Pharmaceuticals sent its general manager, Zhou Junjie, to attend the meeting. Having been engaged in medical-related work for many years,
Zhou Junjie has a very good understanding of the working condition of the doctors' group, and he confessed at the meeting that China is still in the transition period of social development, and the doctors are under great responsibility and pressure, and they should enjoy high honor and respect. In order to ease the current tension between doctors and patients, and to review the spirit of doctors, the release of the "Code of Ethics for Chinese Physicians" is also very significant and necessary.
It is understood that, in addition to the exclusive sponsorship of the "medical and" fund, as early as 2006, has been in cooperation with the China Medical Doctor Association, in more than 30 provinces and cities across the country to carry out the initiative of the declaration of the physician, and has been warmly praised.
"Medical and" special fund synchronized start
In the release of the guidelines at the same time, according to the People's Republic of China *** and the State Law on Donations for Public Welfare undertakings, the Chinese Medical Doctors' Association also launched the "medical and ethical construction of a special fund". The fund for the public welfare, funded by the Shanghai Hohuang Pharmaceuticals, 1 million yuan per year, will be funded for five consecutive years, used to strengthen the humanistic qualities of physicians and professionalism, and publicize the outstanding figures and deeds of physicians, to create a harmonious medical environment.