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Doctors must protect
Chen
The Hippocratic Oath is a pledge, called the ¡§Doctor¡¦s Oath¡¨ in Chinese, that is
taken by doctors and other healthcare professionals, asking them to promise, to
the best of their abilities, to practice medicine ethically and honestly. It is
not a formal contract, and it is up to each doctor or nurse to live up to the
oath as best they can.
It is apparent from photographs in newspapers and on television news that former
president Chen Shui-bian (³¯¤ô«ó), currently serving a long jail sentence, is not
in the best of health. Visitors from who have seen Chen have reported back to
the media that he looks frail and depressed.
Whatever the legal and correctional system issues that are facing Chen ¡X and he
must face these squarely ¡X surely there is room in a warm and humane country
like Taiwan for some kind of medical pardon: based not only on humanitarian and
medical reasons, but also on the Hippocratic Oath.
The oath¡¦s content: ¡§To keep the sick from harm and injustice,¡¨ surely applies
to the situation Taiwan is facing in regard to Chen¡¦s health. The doctors
looking at the issue of medical parole for Chen should leave politics aside and
only focus on the medical aspects of his case.
The Hippocratic Oath is understood by all doctors and now might be the time to
jettison politics, put the political issues to one side and focus solely on the
medical aspects of Chen¡¦s condition.
If Taiwan¡¦s doctors do this, be they members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
or the Democratic Progressive Party or just independent voters that support
neither party, they can better focus on what needs to be done, and done soon.
Dan Bloom
Chiayi
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