The following International Code of Medical Ethics is applicable to all members of the medical profession practicing within the Endowment Fund, the Institute or its Cancer Screening Unit.

This International Code of Medical Ethics was developed by the World Medical Association (WMA). In accordance with the WMA Declaration of Geneva, the Physician's Oath, and all WMA policies, this code defines and specifies the professional obligations of physicians towards their patients, towards other physicians and health professionals, towards themselves and towards society as a whole.

The physician must be aware of the ethical, legal and regulatory norms and standards applicable in the country where he or she practices, as well as the relevant international norms and standards.

These norms and standards shall not limit the physician's compliance with the ethical principles set out in this Code.

The International Code of Medical Ethics must be read in its entirety and each of its paragraphs should not be interpreted in isolation from other congruent paragraphs.

In accordance with the WMA’s mandate, the Code is addressed to physicians. The WMA invites all persons working in the field of health care to adopt these ethical principles.

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1. The primary duty of the physician is to promote the health and well-being of each of his patients by providing timely, competent and compassionate care, in accordance with good practice and the professional rules of medicine. It is also the physician's responsibility to contribute to the health and well-being of populations and society as a whole, including future generations. All medical treatment must be administered with the utmost respect for human life and dignity and for the autonomy and rights of the patient.

2. The practitioner must practice medicine impartially and fairly and provide care according to the needs of the patient without any prejudice or discrimination based on age, possible pathology or disability, belief, origin or ethnicity, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, culture, sexual orientation, social origin or any other criterion.

3. The physician must strive to use the resources provided for health care in a manner that is optimal for the patient, but also fair, equitable and prudent given the pooled resources entrusted to him.

4. The physician must practice with conscience, honesty, integrity and responsibility, provide independent medical advice and observe an irreproachable professional attitude in all circumstances.

5. The physician must not allow the prospect of an advantage, for himself or for the institution for which he works, to influence his individual professional judgment. He must recognize and avoid any conflict of interest, potential or actual, and declare any unavoidable conflict of interest. When conflicts of interest are unavoidable, they must be declared in advance and properly managed.

6. Physicians are responsible for their individual medical decisions and may not modify their well-founded and professional medical advice on the basis of instructions contrary to medical reasoning.

7. When the patient’s health status warrants it, the physician must cooperate with other physicians and health professionals who are following the patient or who are specially qualified to assess the patient’s condition and recommend treatment options. Such communications must be limited to the necessary information and must respect the rules of medical confidentiality.

8. The physician may only provide professional certification to what he or she has personally verified.

9. The physician should provide assistance in the event of a medical emergency, without overestimating his or her skills and taking into account other available and realistic treatment options, while ensuring his or her own safety.

10. The physician may not participate in acts of torture or any other cruel, inhuman or degrading practices or punishments.

11. The physician must continue to improve his or her professional knowledge and skills throughout his or her career.

12. The physician should always strive to practice medicine in the most environmentally friendly manner possible in order to mitigate environmental health risks for current and future generations.

13. Duties to the Patient

14. The dignity, autonomy and rights of the patient must remain at the heart of the physician’s concerns when providing health care. The physician must respect the patient’s right to freely accept or refuse care based on his or her values ​​and preferences.

15. The physician is committed to making the patient’s health and well-being his or her priority and to providing care in the patient’s best interests. In doing so, the physician must strive to avoid or minimize harm to the patient and seek a favorable balance between the expected benefit to the patient and any harm the patient may suffer.

16. The physician must respect the patient's right to be informed at each stage of the care protocol. The physician must obtain the patient's voluntary and informed consent before any medical act, ensuring that the patient receives and understands the information he or she needs to make a decision about the proposed care independently and with full knowledge of the facts. The physician must respect the patient's decision not to consent or to withdraw consent at any time and for any reason.

17. When a patient's decision-making capacity is significantly limited, prevented or fluctuating, the physician must involve the patient as much as possible in medical decisions. In addition, the physician must consult with his or her trusted third party if possible, to make the necessary decisions taking into account his or her preferences, when they are known or reasonably inferred. When these preferences cannot be determined, the physician must decide in the best interests of the patient. All decisions must comply with the principles set out in this Code.

18. In emergencies, when the patient cannot participate in the decision and no representative is available in a timely manner, the physician may undertake treatment without the patient’s prior informed consent in the patient’s best interests and taking into account the patient’s preferences, where known.

19. If the patient regains decision-making capacity, the physician must obtain the patient’s informed consent to continue the interventions.

20. The physician should consider and communicate with those close to the patient, if any, to best observe the patient’s preferences and best interests, while respecting the rules of medical confidentiality.

21. If any aspect of patient care is beyond the physician’s competence, the physician should consult another physician or health professional who has the required qualifications and skills or refer the patient to them.

22. The physician must ensure that patients’ medical records are accurate and up to date

23. The physician must respect the patient’s privacy and the rules of medical confidentiality, even after the patient’s death. A physician may disclose confidential information if the patient expresses free and informed consent or, in exceptional cases, when the disclosure of such information will fulfill a higher ethical obligation for which other options have been exhausted even if the patient does not or cannot consent. The information disclosed, the number of recipients and the duration for which it is disclosed must be limited to the minimum necessary.

24. If a physician acts on behalf of third parties or is accountable to third parties in respect of the care provided to the patient, he or she must inform the patient at the outset and, where appropriate, during any intervention. The physician must communicate the nature and extent of these commitments and obtain the patient's consent for the intervention.

25. The physician must refrain from any intrusive or otherwise inappropriate advertising or marketing and ensure that any information they use for their promotion is factual and not misleading.

26. The physician must not allow commercial, financial or other conflicting interests to influence his or her professional judgment.

27. When providing remote consultation or treatment, the physician must ensure that this means of communication is medically justified and that the necessary medical care is provided. The physician must also inform the patient of the benefits and limitations of remote medical consultation and treatment, obtain the patient’s consent, and ensure that the patient’s privacy is respected. When medically appropriate, the physician must favor medical consultation and treatment through direct, personal contact.

28. The physician must respect appropriate professional boundaries. The physician must not engage in an abusive or exploitative relationship, or any other inappropriate relationship or behavior, with a patient, or engage in a sexual relationship with a current patient.

29. In order to provide the highest quality care possible, the physician must ensure his or her own health, well-being, and fitness. This includes the obligation to seek appropriate care in order to practice safely.

30. This Code addresses the ethical obligations of the physician. However, some topics raise profound moral dilemmas on which doctors and patients may have deeply held but opposing beliefs.

31. Physicians have an ethical obligation to minimise disruptions to patient care. Conscientious objection may only be exercised if it does not cause harm or discrimination to the patient and the patient’s health is not endangered.

32. The physician must immediately and sensitively inform the patient of the objection and of the patient’s right to consult another qualified physician, providing the patient with sufficient information to ensure that the consultation is obtained in a timely manner.

33. Duties to other physicians, health professionals, students and other staff

34. The physician maintains respectful, collaborative and non-judgmental relationships with other physicians, health professionals and other staff and shall not engage in discriminatory or harassing behaviour. The physician shall also ensure that ethical principles are respected when working in a team.

35. The physician should respect the doctor-patient relationships that colleagues have with their patients and refrain from intervening unless requested by one of the parties or the intervention is intended to protect the patient from harm. This rule does not prevent the physician from recommending an alternative protocol if it is in the best interests of the patient.

36. The physician should report to the appropriate authorities any situation or circumstance that has prevented the physician or any other health professional from providing the highest possible quality of care or from complying with the principles set out in this Code. This includes any form of abuse or violence against physicians or other health personnel, any inappropriate working conditions and any circumstance leading to excessive and sustained stress.

37. The physician shall respect teachers and students.

38. Duties to society

39. The physician shall promote fair and equitable health care delivery. This includes addressing health inequalities and the determinants of these inequalities, as well as violations of the rights of both patients and health professionals.

40. Physicians play an important role in health-related matters, in raising public awareness and knowledge of health issues. This responsibility requires physicians to exercise caution when discussing discoveries, new technologies, or new treatments in nonprofessional or public circles, including social media, and to ensure that their statements are scientifically accurate and understandable.

41. Physicians should indicate when their opinions conflict with scientifically supported information.

42. Physicians should support scientifically rigorous medical research in accordance with the WMA Declarations of Helsinki and Taipei.

43. Physicians should avoid acting in a manner that undermines public trust in the medical profession. To maintain this trust, physicians must embody the highest ethical standards of their profession and expect the same of their colleagues. They must be prepared to report to the appropriate authorities any behavior that is inconsistent with the principles set out in this Code.

44. Physicians should share their medical knowledge and expertise in the interest of the patient and to advance health care and global public health.

45. Duties as a member of the medical profession

46. The physician should respect, protect and promote the ethical principles set out in this Code. The physician should help prevent national or international ethical laws or regulations or organizational rules that would undermine the obligations set out in this Code.

47. The physician should help other physicians to fulfill the responsibilities set out in this Code and take steps to protect them from undue influence, abuse, exploitation, violence or oppression.