Business Law And Ethics : Physicians And Professional Secrecy
...from taking place. Our health care officials also have a duty to provide the best care possible to those who need it. Often enough, there have been many cases where both parties have come in contrast with each other on different levels of professionalism. The ultimate debate arises when doctors and law enforcement take into account the respect and privacy of patients. One of the issues that will be discussed in the paper focuses on the importance of doctors having to report gunshot wounds to the police. Many issues of ethics and morality come into play when judging which party is in favor. In our opinion, we believe that physicians should report patients that come in with gunshot wounds for reasons of discouraging criminal acts, protecting our society, and preventing future violence from taking place. This paper will explore the many moral, ethical and legal responsibilities of a physician, and analyze why it is important for them to report gunshot wounds to the police. Contrary to the Code of Ethics of Physicians and the Medical Act, we believe there is a pressing issue for public concern that is being strongly overlooked in this matter. We will explore the areas of human rights, professional secrecy, civil responsibilities, as well as patient consent in order to justify our claim.
The Law
Article 9 of The Charter of Human Rights and Freedom states that, "No person bound to professional secrecy should disclose confidential information and that the tribunal will ensure professional secrecy is respected." We strongly believe this statement should not apply to gunshot wounds because it depicts that the law would only be protecting one person over society as a whole. A gunshot wound should not be bound by professional secrecy since; even professionals can determine a gunshot wound and it is not revealing a patient's confidential information other...
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