World Medical Association marks 70th anniversary on Medical Ethics Day
Author: The South African Medical Association (SAMA)
Source: The South African Medical Association (SAMA)
The South African Medical Association (SAMA) invites all doctors to join it, and the World Medical Association (WMA), in celebrating the 70th anniversary of the WMA, which coincides with Medical Ethics Day.
The WMA was founded on 18 September 1947, just one month after the war crimes trials of German doctors in Nuremberg. After the experiences of World War II, representatives of the medical profession decided it was necessary to establish a new international medical organization to develop medical ethics and to co-operate globally.
The SAMA has been a member of the WMA since its inception, and has played a role in the major activities of Association. SAMA has also been involved in the development of many ethical guidelines, including the seminal Declaration of Helsinki, and the recently adopted Declaration of Taipei in Health Databases and Biobanks.
We, along with all our colleagues in private and public practice, take this opportunity to wish the WMA well during this significant time in its history, and pledge our continued support to the organization as it navigates the next 70 years.