Public Health Ethical Principles

Public health is organized collective efforts to assure the health of the population by preventing diseases and prolonging life. However, in order to effectively protect the health of the population, there is a need for a level of power. Public health ethical principles ensure assurance of health of the population without abuse of this power on the part of public or private organizations. Major values and beliefs also underlie these principles which encompass health as a human right, knowledge, and interdependence between people and their community. I think the role of ethics is of utmost importance as it serves as a guideline for public health professionals to effectively serve the population within certain limits.
While going through the …show more content…
I am of the opinion maternal and child health programs, policies, and research must be designed in ways to abide by the ethical principles. In the second reading, the case of Flora Diaz reflected many lessons such as the need to adhere to ethical standards and be accountable for one’s actions. It shows the need for clear protocols, policies, and practice in any sphere of the environment with a great lesson that informed consent isn’t a form but a process. I feel we must all maintain the strictest code of conduct in our present and future professional life, be aware of one’s profession code of conduct and abide by it. If there are gray areas encountered, it is better to carefully go over with a fine-toothed comb and ensure not to violate fundamental rights.
The implication of this is all public health organizations and the government should adhere to the highest ethical standards, let it critically guide their actions into their operations and if a day comes that an ethical dilemma arises not covered in the code, they should not shy away from reevaluating and updating the code. It is essential that situations such as the Tuskegee study of syphilis and Flora Diaz never arise in our society