A comprehensive look at how healthcare professionals gathered to address integrity, corruption, and ethical challenges in modern medicine
Imagine a medical world where trust is the default, where every patient interaction embodies integrity, and where healthcare systems prioritize ethical practice as much as medical outcomes. This vision brought together hundreds of dedicated professionals in Bangalore, India, for the Fifth National Bioethics Conference (NBC) in December 2014. At a time when public perception of corruption in healthcare was growing, this conference dared to ask: Can bioethics evolve from an academic discipline into a powerful movement that transforms medical practice? 8
Co-hosted by St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences, the Society for Community Health Research Awareness and Action (SOCHARA), and the Forum for Medical Ethics Society (FMES), this gathering represented a collective soul-searching for India's medical community. Rather than avoiding uncomfortable topics, participants confronted them directly, exploring how ethical practice forms the very foundation of healing and how its absence undermines public trust in medicine itself 8 .
Registered Participants
Countries Represented
Indian States
The National Bioethics Conference series began in 2005 as a biennial initiative to address contemporary and socially relevant issues in Indian healthcare. These conferences rotate venues across India, creating a dynamic platform for dialogue that reflects the country's diverse medical landscape. The fifth edition continued this tradition while focusing specifically on integrity—a response to what Director of St. John's, Rev Dr. Paul Parathazham, described in his inaugural address as the challenge of transforming the "ruling morality of the time" 8 .
His observation that "being a counter-current means that we do not take funds from the pharmaceutical and health industry" underscored the conference's commitment to uncompromised ethical discourse 8 .
First National Bioethics Conference launched
Second conference addresses new challenges
Third conference expands scope
Fourth conference builds momentum
Fifth conference focuses on integrity in healthcare
Society for Community Health Research Awareness and Action
Forum for Medical Ethics Society
The conference attracted an impressive diversity of participants, creating a rich tapestry of perspectives essential for meaningful bioethical discussion:
This diversity ensured that discussions about integrity in healthcare incorporated viewpoints from multiple stakeholders, rather than being limited to medical professionals alone. The inclusion of international perspectives from countries including Australia, Egypt, Germany, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the UK, and USA added global relevance to the conversations 8 .
Workshop on bioethics for medical undergraduates organized by departments from St. John's and Christian Medical College, Vellore.
Colloquium on ethical perspectives in gender and health examining critical issues including sex selection and gender ratios.
SOCHARA Community Health Learning Programme meetings with nearly 50 community health fellows sharing experiences.
The inaugural plenary featured two thought-provoking keynote addresses that established the philosophical foundation for the conference. Professor Shiv Vishwanathan argued for medical ethics rooted in deeper philosophical, sociological and cultural understanding, critiquing some medical ethics journals as lacking sufficient philosophical grounding 8 .
Professor Vishwanathan proposed examining "the body" through multiple conceptualizations:
This theoretical framework encouraged participants to consider how different understandings of the human body influence ethical decision-making in medicine, creating a foundation for critiquing standard approaches to bioethics that sometimes prioritize procedural questions over deeper philosophical ones.
A central focus of the conference was addressing corruption and malpractices within India's health system. The international colloquium on "Corruption in healthcare and medicine" on the final day provided a platform for candid discussions about how these practices erode public trust and what ethical safeguards might help restore integrity to medical practice 8 .
These conversations acknowledged the systemic nature of corruption in healthcare, moving beyond individual wrongdoing to examine how structures and incentives can compromise medical integrity.
The pre-conference colloquium on gender ethics highlighted urgent concerns that would resonate throughout the main conference. Dr. Sabu George highlighted the alarming decrease in gender ratios across India due to female foeticide, emphasizing that legislation alone is insufficient without parallel efforts toward women's empowerment 8 .
Dr. Evita Fernandes introduced the powerful term "obstetric violence" to describe the lack of respect and privacy women often experience during childbirth, noting that trained midwives typically demonstrate greater sensitivity to these issues 8 .
The SOCHARA Community Health Learning Programme meetings showcased how ethical principles translate into practical community health work. The attendance of approximately 50 alumni from across India demonstrated the program's national reach and enduring impact 8 .
A particularly noteworthy presentation highlighted how most alumni were implementing their training in real-world settings, maintaining strong connections with the communities they served. The discussion about forming formal associations and discussion groups reflected a commitment to sustaining ethical practice through ongoing collaboration and support.
Community Health Alumni
| Category | Number | Additional Details |
|---|---|---|
| Total Registered Participants | 695 | Plus additional non-registered session attendees |
| Student Participants | 250 | Included postgraduates from various disciplines |
| Countries Represented | 10 | Australia, Egypt, Germany, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UK, USA |
| Indian States Represented | 14 | Included both northern and southern states |
| Total Participants Across All Events | 750+ | Due to open sessions for non-registered attendees 8 |
| Gender Ethics Topic | Key Issues Identified |
|---|---|
| Sex Selection & Gender Ratio | Decreasing female population |
| Adolescent Health | Rebellion, sexuality information gaps |
| Maternal Health | "Obstetric violence," lack of respect & privacy |
| Domestic Violence | Burns cases, low FIR registration |
| Women in Health Workforce | Majority without adequate voice |
| Type of Corruption | Manifestation |
|---|---|
| Financial Impropriety | Kickbacks for referrals |
| Unnecessary Procedures | Tests & surgeries without medical justification |
| Pharmaceutical Influence | Gifts affecting prescribing |
| Differential Treatment | Varying care based on payment ability |
Bioethics represents a branch of ethical inquiry that examines biological discoveries and biomedical advances, focusing on their moral implications for our individual and collective humanity 5 .
The field has expanded from its initial emphasis on medical ethics to include diverse issues like resource allocation, end-of-life decisions, reproductive technologies, genetic interventions, and emerging biotechnologies 5 .
Consistency between ethical principles and practical actions
Fair distribution of healthcare resources
Respecting patients' right to make informed decisions
Acting in patients' best interests
Avoiding unnecessary harm in treatment
Transparency in medical decision-making
These principles formed the conceptual framework for conference discussions, demonstrating how abstract ethical concepts apply to concrete medical situations.
The Fifth National Bioethics Conference represented a significant milestone in India's ongoing conversation about medical ethics. By confronting challenging topics like corruption, gender disparities, and systemic inequities, participants demonstrated courageous commitment to transforming healthcare culture. The conference succeeded not only in discussing integrity but in embodying it through transparent dialogue and critical self-reflection 8 .
The conference's emphasis on rooting ethics in philosophical depth and community engagement provides an enduring framework for addressing these future challenges. As Professor Vishwanathan suggested during his plenary address, meaningful medical ethics requires understanding the many ways we conceptualize human bodies and experience—reminding us that ethical healthcare ultimately serves not just physical ailments but whole persons and communities 8 .
The legacy of the Fifth National Bioethics Conference lives on in subsequent conferences and in the daily work of participants who carry its insights into clinics, classrooms, and communities across India and beyond. It stands as a powerful example of how honest conversation about difficult topics can plant seeds of transformation that eventually grow to heal not just patients, but healthcare systems themselves.