We face a situationf ull of ambiguity:O n
the one hand endless public discussions
T he great Buddhist King Asoka had
decreed, "Let healing be brought to men
and beasts." By the first centuries of our
common era, vast Halls of Medicine and
medical universities had been built under
Buddhist influence throughout Southeast
Asia. Thailand is heir to a 2,500-year-old
medicalt raditionw ith a medicale thic reminiscent
of Hippocrates, making patient
welfare the primary obligation.
One of the major ethical problems in
Thai medicine has been the intrusion of
Western medical models into this tradition.
American agencies, eager to bring moder
medicine to Thailand, delivered financial
assistance and the whole package of American
medical education, technology, and
health care delivery patterns. The conse-
VIOLETTEL INDBECKis associate professor
of philosophy, Southern Connecticut
State University. As visiting professor at
Mahidol University in Bangkok, the leading
medical university in Thailand, she
lectured on biomedical ethics to the graduate
students in nursing and the nursing
faculty and helped to plan an Asian workshop
on ethics in medicine.
take place on almost every complex issue
in the field of bioethics. On the other hand
real moral and ethical reasoning is hardly
perceptible. There is one exception; in the
Dutch Health Council, which advises the
government on health care matters, a few
bioethicists play a significant role: where
appropriatet,h ey are invited to join many
important committees. These ethicists are
highly appreciated by the other members
of the Health Council, but this group is the
elite of Dutch rmedicasl cience.