Charges against Turkish doctors dropped
The AMA has welcomed the news that charges against Turkish doctors who assisted people injured in the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul in 2013 have been dropped.
AMA President, A/Prof Brian Owler, said today that the court case brought by the Turkish Ministry of Health against the Turkish Medical Association's Ankara Chamber of Medicine (ATO) for providing medical assistance to people injured during the protests was dismissed last week.
“The AMA Federal Council last year passed a formal resolution calling on the Turkish Government to drop legal action against the Turkish Medical Association, whose members provided the emergency medical care to the injured demonstrators,” A/Prof Owler said.
“We followed that up with a letter to Prime Minister Abbott urging the Australian Government to call on Turkish authorities to drop legal action against the doctors.
“I also wrote to the Turkish Ambassador in Australia expressing support for medical neutrality and dismissal of the court case.
“The AMA, along with the World Medical Association and other national medical associations, has been busy in defending the rights of doctors in this situation and other crises and conflicts around the world,” A/Prof Owler said.
The AMA adopted the World Medical Association's Regulations in Times of Armed Conflict as AMA policy.
The policy states that medical ethics in times of armed conflict or violence is identical to medical ethics in times of peace; doctors must always give someone the necessary care impartially and without discrimination; doctors and other health care personnel must be allowed to provide care to everyone in need, whether civilian or combatant; and doctors must never be prosecuted or punished for complying with their ethical obligations.
27 February 2015
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