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Karma and Kindness Medical Ethics in Thailand

Karma and Kindness Medical Ethics in Thailand. Scott Stonington MD/PhD Student – Medical Anthropology. Thailand and the Mechanical Ventilator. A New Political and Ethical Problem. Dilemmas. Ethical – Two ethical principles dictate opposite actions

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Karma and Kindness Medical Ethics in Thailand

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  1. Karma and KindnessMedical Ethics in Thailand Scott Stonington MD/PhD Student – Medical Anthropology

  2. Thailand and theMechanical Ventilator A New Political and Ethical Problem

  3. Dilemmas • Ethical – Two ethical principles dictate opposite actions • Self-Interest – The decision maker’s interest conflicts with ethical action • Practical – Ethical action is clear, but logistics get in the way

  4. Questions 1) What kind of dilemma does withdrawing the ventilator present to the characters? 2) What bioethical principles do they use to make their decisions?

  5. Principles of Western Bioethics • Autonomy – Patients have the right to make informed decisions about their own health • Beneficence – Do what is best for the patient • Non-Maleficence – Do no harm • Truth-Telling – Never lie or conceal information • Justice – Treat patients equally and fairly

  6. Characters • Gaew – Thai Construction Worker • Ends up in ICU with no cortical activity • Kwan – Gaew’s Wife • Tong – Gaew’s Physician

  7. ‘Culture’ and Bioethics in the United States We assume that the principles of Western bioethics are universal

  8. Which bioethical principles are at work in Gaew’s Case?

  9. What Kind of Dilemma? • Kwan Practical Dilemma • Dr. Tong Relieving Suffering vs. Karmic Consequence

  10. The Quest for a Thai Bioethics

  11. Advisors Vincanne Adams(Anthropology) Steve Pantilat(Medicine, Ethics) Sharon Kaufman(Anthropology) Paul Rabinow(Anthropology, UCB) Mark Mancall(History, Stanford) Thai Institutions Ministry of Public Health Hospitals: Siriraj, Ramathibodi, BCC, Pitsanulok, Ratchaburi Funding MSTP Pacific Rim Research Program Office of International Programming Acknowledgements

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