Fairness : One Principle of Ethics

SUKHIT PHAOSA V ASDI, M.D.*, SURASAK T ANEEPANICHSKUL, M.D.*, YUEN TANNIRANDORN, M.D.*, AURCHART KARNJANAPITAK,M.D.*, PINIT KULLA V ANUA Y A, M.D.**

Affiliation : * Member of Thai Medical Association ** President of The Royal College of Physicians of Thailand.

Each year the Thai General Medical Council (GMC) received about 300-500 complaints, about 2.5 per cent of all doctors, regarding the doctors conducts. The most common complaint is that the treatment is not up to standard The importance of setting standards of medical practice must go hand in hand with the method of setting standards. If both principles go hand in hand it will create fairness which is one important principle of ethics<2>. This is because doctors are only human but their actions will have good or bad effects on society. In making judgement on doctors do various committees of the GMC depend only on scientific evidence or other factors as well. Also there are often questions from society about whether the judgement have auditing system or not, are there systems for the judgements to be audited. This is so that the work of various committees of the GMC will be widely accepted by society. The committees should also use the principles of humanity as well as political science in judging cases.
The setting of standards in patient's management is easier than the system of setting of standard especially when it has to depend on the infrastructure of Thailand which has many limita tions. The standard of care depends on education, economy, research, good governance, and must include Thai culture, way of life, and religion which has been a very important part of Thai life for a long time. Also we have to accept that international culture has strong influence on the daily life of all of us in our thinking and practice(3).

Keywords : Fairness

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