How Orthodox Doctors can Work in the Free Market Economy without Ethical Conflict

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleКак врачу сохранить свою христианскую совесть в условиях рыночной экономики
3. Language term Russian
4. lemma author Asliturk, Miriam
5. lemma category Ethics - Scientific theories and disciplines > Medicine
6. Publication date 20-08-2018
7. lemma work Филимонов, Сергий [Author]. Как врачу сохранить свою христианскую совесть в условиях рыночной экономики
8. lemma manifestations Церковь и Биоэтика: Церковно-общественный совет по биомедицинской этике при Московской Патриархии.
9. Keywords Orthodox doctors - Christian faith - medicine - Russian Orthodoxy - Capitalism - ethics
10. Url Click Here
11. Citations
    1. <p>Филимонов, Сергий (2009). Как врачу сохранить свою христианскую совесть в условиях рыночной экономики. <em>Церковь и Биоэтика: Церковно-общественный совет по биомедицинской этике при Московской Патриархии. </em>Retrieved from: <a href="http://bioethics.orthodoxy.ru/biblioteka/khristianstvo-i-meditsina/251-">http://bioethics.orthodoxy.ru/biblioteka/khristianstvo-i-meditsina/251-</a> </p>
12. Lemma body

    1. The author, Archpriest Sergei Filimonov, belongs to the Society of Orthodox doctors of St. Petersburg named after St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky). He cites Karl Marx who said that doctors in the free market economy are businessmen. Thus in the market economy, doctors often have to deal with the conflict between their medical ethics and the rule of private medical companies they work for.

       The author believes that there is a possibility for Orthodox doctors to be part of the market economy and avoid ethical conflicts. He argues that if Orthodox doctors prioritize Christian ethics and Christian consciousness there will be no conflict. In everyday practice an Orthodox doctor must ask himself how he or she can please and help God. An Orthodox doctor working in the private sector should also use every opportunity for the patient to pay less for medical services. Orthodox doctors should not demand money in advance for medical services but only hope that the patient will pay afterwards.

       Doctors should be careful about common sins of their profession, such as incompetence, greed or absence of desire for perfectionism and fatigue. The author points out that doctors often misdiagnose and refuse to admit so because of pride. Overconfidence is also described as a sin typical for the medical profession. The author believes that doctors should be more humble and never forget that healing does not occur without the will of God.