The clinical leadership of the doctor and the strict defense of the code of ethics have been ratified as essential elements to safeguard patient safety and the viability of healthcare systems. This was underlined by the leading representatives of Spanish, European and international healthcare during the IX Convention of the Medical Profession, organized by the OMC in Madrid.
In the face of increasing trends toward fragmentation of care, the profession has insisted that the healthcare system of the 21st century must be structured under coordination and the unquestionable leadership of the doctor, the central and cohesive figure of multidisciplinary teams.
The president of the OMC, Tomás Cobo, has pointed to professional colleges as essential guarantors of ethics in Medicine: "professional colleges defend our commitment to ethics and service to society as the only possible compass in a complex healthcare environment". At the same time, he highlighted the historical contribution of the medical community and the experience accumulated in the consolidation of the National Health System.
The emergence of Artificial Intelligence in medical practice
One of the central points of the Convention has been the arrival of AI in the healthcare field. The president of the World Medical Association (WMA), Dr. Jung Yul Park, has acknowledged the international reference role of the Spanish medical profession and has issued a clear message regarding digitalization: "Artificial Intelligence must act exclusively as a multiplier of capabilities, but clinical responsibility and the final decision, reside and will always reside in the professional human judgment".
Along the same lines, international leaders have stressed that "Technology cannot and must not replace clinical judgment, empathy and the human stature that define the medical act", warning of the dangers of the dehumanization of care and of the consequences of professional burnout on a global scale.
Humanitarian commitment and international alliance
The Convention has expressly sought to recognize the human stature and steadfast commitment of doctors in the face of any humanitarian crisis, emergency, or catastrophe, highlighting that the medical vocation goes beyond borders, contexts and usual protocols.
In a particularly tense international context, marked by care overload, disinformation, and the increase in assaults on healthcare professionals, Europe and Ibero-America have formalized a strategic alliance to protect the independence of physicians and demand decent working conditions. The aim is to ensure a Medicine founded exclusively on science, ethics, and humanism.
The meeting, inaugurated this morning, brought together more than 500 medical professionals and featured the presence of the leading medical authorities worldwide.
The opening panel has included interventions by Tomás Cobo, Jung Yul Park, president of the World Medical Association (AMM), Jorge Coronel, president of the Latin American and Caribbean Medical Confederation (CONFEMEL), Tiago Villanueva, president of the European Union of Primary Care Physicians (UEMO), and the medical orders of France and Italy, Stéphan Oustric and Filippo Anelli, respectively.