Modern medical knowledge, diversity of lifestyles, and broad moral and religious values in modern societies have made medical involvement and healthcare decision-making processes more complicated. To house all these factors, hospital ethics committees (HEC) are a crucial component of healthcare. They should have basic training in medical ethics, so that they can offer guidance on the best way forward when there is no consensus among those concerned in a patient’s care. The committee assists the hospital in developing policies and practices that conform to the highest ethical standards, and offers ethical education to staff and the community. Where such a committee is not available, an individual with some knowledge on medical ethics can be consulted for guidance.

Source: Daily Nation March 12, 2019 07:52 UTC