RoH-Oct2007
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Handbook of WMA Policies
World Medical Association ½ R-2007-01-2007
WMA RESOLUTION
ON
HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN ZIMBABWE
Adopted by the 58th
WMA General Assembly, Copenhagen, Denmark, October 2007
PREAMBLE
Noting information and reports of systematic and repeated violations of human rights,
interference with the right to health in Zimbabwe, failure to provide resources essential for
provision of basic health care, declining health status of Zimbabweans, dual loyalties and
threats to health care workers striving to maintain clinical independence, denial of access
to health care for persons deemed to be associated with opposition political parties and
escalating state torture, the WMA wishes to confirm its support of, and commitment to:
• Attaining the World Health Organization principle that the “enjoyment of the
highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every
human being”
• Defending the fundamental purpose of physicians to alleviate distress of patients
and not to let personal, collective or political will prevail against such purpose
• Supporting the role of physicians in upholding the human rights of their patients as
central to their professional obligations
• Supporting physicians who are persecuted because of their adherence to medical
ethics
RECOMMENDATION
Therefore, the World Medical Association, recognizing the collapsing health care system
and public health crisis in Zimbabwe, calls on its affiliated national medical associations to:
1. Publicly denounce all human rights abuses and violations of the right to health in
Zimbabwe
2. Actively protect physicians who are threatened or intimidated for actions which are
part of their ethical and professional obligations
3. Engage with the Zimbabwean Medical Association (ZiMA) to ensure the autonomy of
the medical profession in Zimbabwe
4. Urge and support ZiMA to invite an international fact finding mission to Zimbabwe
as a means for urgent action to address the health and health needs of Zimbabweans
R-2007-01-2007½ Copenhagen
Human rights Abuses in Zimbabwe
In addition, the WMA encourages ZiMA, as a member organization of the WMA, to:
1. Uphold its commitment to the WMA Declarations of Tokyo, Hamburg and Madrid as
well as the WMA Statement on Access to Health Care
2. Facilitate an environment where all Zimbabweans have equal access to quality health
care and medical treatment, irrespective of their political affiliations
3. Commit to eradicating torture and inhumane, degrading treatment of citizens in Zim-
babwe
4. Reaffirm their support for the clinical independence of physicians treating any citizen
of Zimbabwe
5. Obtain and publicize accurate and necessary information on the state of health ser-
vices in Zimbabwe
6. Advocate for inclusion in medical curricula, teachings on human rights and the ethical
obligations of physicians to maintain full and clinical independence when dealing with
patients in vulnerable situations
The WMA encourages ZiMA to seek assistance in achieving the above by engaging with
the WMA, the Commonwealth Medical Association and the NMAs of neighboring coun-
tries and to report on its progress from time to time.