Business Ethics in Medicine

Adopting Strong Buinsess Ethics in medical practices in Africa

Ethics is one of the complexities finding its roots in philosophy. Seeking to decipher right from wrong, its sole aim is to recommend suitable actions for a committed group or organization. The term ethics is related to the perceived acceptance of moral standing, appropriate values and long-lasting beliefs of a given organization, i.e., what norms are acceptable to a group of like-minded intellectuals. Business ethics encompasses the principles and fundamental practices of acceptable standards, for the effective running of a business enterprise. This is different from the concept of morality (which is an individual perception) but studies have shown that the practice of business ethics arise from individual identity of self and the moral ladder of the business manager. While morality represents the act of doing what is right with regards to the cultural of a given society, business ethics involves aligning our business practices with the code of conducts of a profession. Though, the core purpose of every business is to make profit, the concept of business morals should not be left isolated at any point in time. In the same way human beings are expected to have good morals in society, your medical practice or 'medical business', as a part of society will be held to high standards also. Businesses which can understand and adjust their vision and goals to this school of thought, have been able to rise above their competitors and remain relevant in society. The same goes with any medical business, be it a hospital, company, NGO or governmental organizations. Business ethics is not alien to the medical industry. In fact, it is a core part of medical business that focuses on promoting excellent and effective services in the field without any form of bias.

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We know that Africa has been stalked with several healthcare challenges including the proliferation of unethical standards in medical practice. In this, we mean business standards and some unethical approach in product development, service delivery, e.tc. An unethical medical business does not regard the virtuous guiding rules of medicine or business. It would seek to maximize profit to the detriments of its clients (or patients). Considering all professions around the world, expectations for medical businesses to diligently follow the codes of business ethics surpassed the expectations from other professions. Failure to include ethics in your business goals and practices would lead to criminal offences, poor reputation, dissatisfaction and loss of trust in the industry.

In today's African business environment, proper ethical standards can be adopted by the stakeholders in every organization driving initiatives that promote values, moral integrity and right behaviors. In medicine, this will also encompass arriving at sustainable ethical regulations in handling given medical challenges starting with core values that most people can accept, like protecting patients' privacy, telling patients the truth, and giving them a choice about being in a medical experiment. These basic values are indisputable in the field of medicine. In this stance, a hard rock exists between fulfilling the needs of patients, the physician’s will and business ethical values. Hence, business ethics in medicine could be summarized into four categories namely; transparency, truth, respect for patients' own values and regard for patients' families.

It must be noted that Medicine is not an island- there is need to blend in other requirements for it to flourish. Such requirements are professionalism on the part of medical personnel, viable business ethics, excellent service delivery among other virtues. Solidified reinforcement should therefore be made available for professionals in the field of Medicine as to practicing business ethics for boosting their business proficiency. In conclusion, any business that seeks to attain success must pay close enough attention to its code of conduct especially as it relates to her customers and workers. Conducts which go contrary to the accepted norms which govern individuals in the business tend to undermine the system and thus can only lead to failure. In the same vein, medical personnel should uphold their hospitals' ethics committees for answers in the face of confusion. And just as in any other field, there should be a timely reviewing of medical business ethics so as to meet up with changing business demands. These committees could work in an advisory capacity and develop specific hospital policies, educate staff about clinical ethics, and oversee ethical consultants on staff.