OAR@UM Collection:https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/1324422026-06-16T02:24:55Z2026-06-16T02:24:55ZJustice in the practice of medicinehttps://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/1327372025-03-04T07:17:07Z2025-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Justice in the practice of medicine
Abstract: It is contended in this dissertation that justice in the practice of medicine is a sequence of moral
arguments that strive to improve the reasoning and activities with which the practice of medicine
fulfils its primary aims. Through such a process, the medical profession seeks to define its scope of
practice, whereas patients endeavour to gain the benefits of medical knowledge.
This work seeks to establish principles that assist in exercising justice in the practice of medicine
using the Maltese legal framework. In doing so, laws, circulars, and traditions of professional
practices are interpreted in terms of moral reasoning.
The role of the national professional body that determines the professional and ethical obligations of
medical practitioners in Malta (the Medical Council) is used to exemplify how authority and power to
deliver justice are granted by society through legislation.
This work is important because it presents a novel perspective on arguments concerning the exercise
of justice in medicine according to its practice using Maltese regulatory frameworks. It provides an
opportunity to link principles and seek insights into the ethos and ontology of professions in general.
By demonstrating principles that unite morality, tradition, virtue, and deontology through a framework
of justice, the author concludes that medical practice can be carried out in a rational manner that
allows medical practitioners to achieve their intended goals: the well-being and flourishing of patients.
Such a framework involves charity and solidarity that provide a driving force for medical practitioners
to practice medicine. A moral community of medical practitioners would unite behind such principles
and decide on the respective goals they wish to pursue. Standards and practices for the profession are
not static but a tradition that is rebranded according to the cultural and scientific advancements it
adopts.
Description: M.A.(Melit.)2025-01-01T00:00:00Z