Enabulele speaks on report on Medicine, Nazism and the Holocaust

Dr. Osahon Enabulele, the immediate past President of the World Medical Association (WMA), has stated that the organisation “is very convinced that the world needs strong ethical guidance, especially in these troubling times of unending conflicts, violence against physicians, and despicable attempts by some repressive governments to undermine the fundamental freedoms, professional autonomy and clinical independence of physicians.”

He made the statement when he represented the WMA at the launch of the Lancet Commission’s report on Medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust, held in Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday.

“The WMA welcomes the fact that there is now a report that reveals the extent of the involvement of the medical profession. The new report presented by 20 scholars and physicians, provides a comprehensive overview of the crimes committed in the field of medicine under the Nazi regime. 

“It traces the development of medical research during the Nazi era and portrays individual perpetrators, as well as individual victims and imprisoned physicians, who, for example, treated their fellow inmates under the most agonizing conditions, including in concentration camps. 

“The report illustrates the extent to which research carried out during the Nazi era continues to have an impact today. It is still so important to sensitize the medical profession to the extent to which many findings originate from this period. This report therefore provides an excellent springboard for the work we need to continue, going forward. 

“The great horror of the Nazi period and the unspeakable involvement of Nazi doctors in the medical atrocities and unethical human experimentation carried out by the Nazis are some of the most extreme and well-documented examples of medical involvement in human rights abuses in history. 

“The WMA recognizes the importance of studying the worst of humanity in order to be able to identify and prevent similar patterns in the present and future, and to promote the highest ethical standards of care in our medical profession.”

Going further, Dr. Enabulele said: “It is in this light that the WMA remains appreciative of the subsequent Nuremberg trials that took place, and which came with it the development of guidelines for ethical research and medical treatment, especially in terms of informed consent.

“The establishment of the WMA in the year 1947, and the development of the Declaration of Geneva (DoG-The Physician’s Pledge), and other important policy documents of the WMA, were largely, direct consequences of the war crimes committed by physicians.

“The Goal was to re-establish trust among patients for physicians, as well as strengthen the patient-physician relationship, in a way that is more person-centered and recognizes the inalienable rights of the patient.”

According to him, “Seventy-six (76) years after its formation, the WMA is today a strong global organization with 115 members, and a widely acknowledged defender of medical ethics worldwide.

“The WMA remains committed to these ethical guidelines and ensures they are continuously updated to remain relevant, and to accommodate for changes in the research environment, medical technologies, and other changes that impact on healthcare delivery/ medical practice.

“The WMA is very convinced that the world needs strong ethical guidance, especially in these troubling times of unending conflicts, violence against physicians, and despicable attempts by some repressive governments to undermine the fundamental freedoms, professional autonomy and clinical independence of physicians. The WMA remains irrevocably committed to providing this guidance.

“The WMA assures of its strong commitment to strengthening her partnership with progressive bodies like the Lancet Commission, in the task of expansion and spread of this important historical knowledge and lessons, including its integration in undergraduate and postgraduate medical educational curriculum.”

On a final note, he stressed: “as we look forward to the launch of the Lancet Commission’s report, we wish to reiterate our strong condemnation of the Hamas terrorist attack of Israel. We equally restate our fervent call on all parties to cease hostilities and to adhere to the principle of medical neutrality.”