Hippocratic Oath Revisited - Where do we stand?

ABSTRACT

The medical profession is said to be a natural art conceived in sympathy and born of necessity. It entails compassion and understanding in handling patients as whole human beings with dignity and decency. The forefathers in the profession ensured nobility by adhering to the Hippocratic oath and stressed a dignified moral conduct towards patients and upholding the sanctity of life. They were therefore able to draw much respect from the society. The issue now is whether doctors have lived up to the standards of our forebearers. Hippocrates (460-377 BC) is generally regarded as the father of scientific medicine. He separated medicine from magic and mythology of Galenic times; and introduced ethics in medicine with the formulation of the Hippocratic Oath (1;2;3;4). any doctor who draduates from medical school is sworn by that oath or any of its derived variations of his graduation day as a reminder of decent professional conduct (2). It is about a doctor's responsibility and obligation in upholding human life first and above anything else; keeping above board in conduct and relation to patients; the general public and with colleagues