JEDDAH, 3 June 2005 — A three-day international Islamic conference on medical ethics ended here yesterday.
The conference, which claimed to be the first of its kind, was held at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and was organized by the King Abdul Aziz Medical City and the King Khaled National Guard Hospital, with the participation of the female section of Saudi Society of Family and Community Medicine.
“The aim of holding this conference,” said the chairman of the organizing committee, Dr. Sulaiman A. Karsou, “was to educate doctors, nurses and administrators on how to handle various situations such as patient confidentiality. We felt the need to address the various ethical dilemmas doctors face on a daily basis because ethics are not taught at our universities and those working in the medical field must know how to deal with various situations.”
The conference included 22 lecturers, sheikhs and Islamic thinkers.
“We concentrated in this conference on how to deal with patients and their treatment,” said Karsou, “as well as how to maintain their confidentiality, how to deal with both sexes, with a focus on appropriate behavior when dealing with delicate matters such as child abuse cases.”
Discussions also tackled issues such as medical and Islamic viewpoints on cosmetic surgery, as well as medical insurance policies. The conference’s conclusions are going to be summarized and submitted to the specialized sectors for further scientific and religious reviewing and discussion in upcoming forums.
