S-1988-04-1988_OVE
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l’ASSOCIATION MEDICALE MONDIALE, INC LA ASOCIACION MEDICA MUNDIAL. INC
THE WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
28 AVENUE OES ALPES • 01210 FERNEY·VOLTAIRE • FRANCE
P. O.Box: 69
Cable Address :
WOMEOAS. FERNEY·VOLTAIRE
Telephone: 50 40 75 75
Telex = 3B5755F WMASfVF
Telefax: 504059 57
Septembre 1988 10.60
Original: English
WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION DECLARATION
on
THE ROLE OF PHYSICIANS IN ENVIRONMENTAL
AND DEMOGRAPHIC ISSUES
Adopted by the 40th World Medical Assembly
Vienna, Austria, September 1988
Introduction
The effective practice of medicine requires that physicians and their
professional associations address environmental and demographic issues
that can influence the health status of both individuals and large
populations. Broadly speaking, these issues all concern the quality
and availability of those resources that are necessary for the
maintenance of health and ultimately of life itself.
the
in
that
four dimensions
Specifically, environmental issues have
long and short-term influence health:
A. The need to halt the ‘degradation of the environment so that
resources necessary for life and health, e.g. clean air and water,
can be available to all. The persistent chemical and waste
contamination of our fresh water supplies and of our atmosphere
with hydrocarbons can have severe medical consequences .
B. The need to control the
soil and oil, so that
generations.
use of nonrenewable
they can provide
resources, e.g. top
benefits to future
c. The need to utilize reasonable and
methods so that a sustainable society
resources remain available.
universal family planning
is maintained and medical
D. The need to mobilize resources across national boundaries in
order to develop broad, internationally based solutions to these
broad, internationally based problems.
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The primary objective of this declaration is to increase the awareness
for maintaining the necessary balance between environmental resources
on the one hand and the biological and social requirements for health
on the other. From the perspective of the physician, neither
exponential population growth nor the irresponsible destruction of
the environment is acceptable. Throughout the world, organized medicine
should stand as an advocate for resolving these issues.
Principles
1. As an element in their representation of physicians, medical
societies should consider environmental issues. This consideration
can include the identification of problems that have a particular
local urgency; efforts to improve the enforcement of already
existing laws on environmental issues: and the identification
of health issues that have their roots in environmental problems.
2. Medical societies should promote family planning measures that
are medically and ethically sound. The goal of such rneasur.
will not be to inhibit the personal autonomy of individuals b
rather to enrich the quality of life for all family members and
for the continuation of all forms of life on the planet.
3. The WMA should serve as an international forum · on the medical
impact of environmental and demographic issues and should provide
a forum for coordinating the international efforts by physicians
and medical societies on the many such issues that must be
addressed internationally.
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