About This Course

The development of science and technology in the contemporary world has greatly enhanced human possibilities and, at the same time, posed a number of new ethical problems and made some traditional problems more acute. This is especially true of the scientific and technological development in the fields of biology and medicine. New biotechnologies provided physicians with means to cope with many deceases and bodily deficiencies and gave them great power over human life and death, and large responsibilities. This gives rise to the requirement that a contemporary physician should be well aware of the main bioethical problems and what is involved in them; understand alternative possibilities and attitudes with respect to these problems, reasons for and against these alternatives. The proposed course, “Foundations of bioethics and biomedicine”, purports to give basic integrated grasp of this ethical dimension of medical profession, controversial ethical problems that arise in the process of medical practice, biomedical researches and experiments.

The purpose of the course is familiarization of medical students with the ethical-humanitarian foundations of medicine and pharmacy, medical and biomedical ethics, the contents of the international ethical standards of medical practice; learning to apply these standards in complicated problem situations of medical professional activity.