Monday, October 1, 2018

Greetings for the Seminar on Ethics and Health Care Management

At 11:00am today (5:00am EDT), in the Consistory Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience those who are taking part in the IV Seminar on Ethics in Health Care Management, taking place at the Vatican from 1 to 5 October 2018.


Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
addressed to those participating in the
Seminar on Ethics in Health Care Management

Your Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I welcome you to this meeting and I thank Bishop Alberto Bochatey, OSA, Auxiliary Bishop of La Plata, President of the Health Commission of the Argentine Episcopal Conference; Mister Cristian Mazza, President of the Health Consensus Foundation, and those that they represent, for the opportunity of this seminar which, with the assistance of the Pontifical Academy for Life, has been organized to address issues in the health field that have great importance in society, from the point of view of an ethical reflection based on the Magisterium of the Church.

The world of health in general, and particularly in Latin America, is experiencing a period marked by economic crisis; it can lead us to feel discouraged because of difficulties in the development of medical science and access to the most appropriate therapies and medicines. But the prospect of caring for our brothers and sisters opens our hearts to welcome a wonderful gift. In this context I propose three words for reflection: miracle, care and trust.

Those responsible for care institutions will tell me, rightly, that they cannot perform miracles and we must assume that the cost-benefit balance implies a distribution of resources, and that their allocations are conditioned by an infinity of medical, legal, economic, social and political, as well as ethical demands.

However, a miracle is not a matter of doing the impossible; the miracle is encountering a brother in the sick person, in the helpless one in front of us. We are called to recognize in the receiver of benefits the immense value of his dignity as a human being, as a child of God. It is not something that can, by itself, undo all the knots that objectively exist, but it will create in us the disposition to untie them to the extent that we are able and, in addition, will give way to an inner change of mentality in us and in society.

This awareness - if it is deeply rooted in the social stratus - will allow the legislative, economic, and medical structures necessary to face the problems that arise. The solutions do not have to be identical in all moments and realities, but they can be managed with a combination of public and private endeavours, legislation and deontology, social justice and entrepreneurship. The inspiring principle of this work cannot be other than the search for good. This good is not an abstract ideal, but a concrete person, a face, who often suffers. Be brave and generous in your intentions, plans and projects and in the use of economic and techno-scientific means. Those who benefit, especially the poor, will appreciate your efforts and initiatives.

The second word is care. Healing the sick is not simply the aseptic application of appropriate medications or therapies. Not even its original meaning is limited to seeking the restoration of health. The Latin verb curare means: attend, worry, take care of, be responsible for the other, the brother. We still have to learn a lot about curing, because that is what God calls us to do. Priests need to take care of others, to heal them.

This provision of the health care worker is important in all cases, but perhaps it is perceived with greater intensity in palliative care. We are experiencing almost universally a strong tendency to legalize euthanasia. We know that when a calm and participative human accompaniment is offered, the chronic patient or terminally ill patient receives this request. Even in those harsh circumstances, if the person feels loved, respected, accepted, the negative shadow of euthanasia disappears or becomes almost non-existent, because the value of his being is measured by his ability to give and receive love, and not by your productivity.

Health professionals and those engaged in health care must engage in a continuous updating of the necessary skills, so that they can always respond to their vocation as ministers of life. The New Charter of Health Care Agents (NCHCA) is a useful tool for reflection and work for you, and is an element that can help in the dialogue between private and state, national and international initiatives and projects. This dialogue and joint work concretely enriches health benefits and goes out to meet the many needs and health emergencies of our Latin American people.

The third word is confidence, which we can distinguish in several areas. First of all, as you know, it is the patient's own confidence in himself, in the possibility of being cured, because that is where a great part of the success of the therapy lies. No less important is for the worker to be able to perform his function in an environment of serenity, and this can not be separated from knowing that he is doing the right thing, as is humanly possible, depending on the resources available. This certainty must be based on a sustainable system of health care, in which all the elements that comprise it, governed by sound subsidiarity, support each other to respond to the needs of society as a whole, and of the patient in his or her uniqueness.

Putting ourselves in the hands of a person, especially when life is at stake, is very difficult; however, a relationship with the doctor or nurse has always been based on responsibility and loyalty. Today, due to the bureaucratization and complexity of the health care system, we run the risk that the terms of the contract establish this relationship between the patient and the health agent, thereby breaking that trust.

We must continue fighting to keep this link of profound humanity intact, since no health care institution can replace the human heart or human compassion (cf. Saint John Paul II, Dolentium hominum, 11 February 1985, 3).  Therefore, the relationship with the patient requires respect for their autonomy and a strong burden of availability, attention, understanding, complicity and dialogue, to be an expression of a commitment assumed as a service (see NCHCA, 4).

I encourage you in your task of bringing so many people and so many families the hope and joy they lack. May the Holy Virgin, Health of the Sick, accompany you in your ideals and your work, and may she who knew how to welcome Life, Jesus, in her heart, be an example of faith and courage for all of you. With all my heart, I bless you all. May God, who is Father of all, give each of you prudence, love and closeness to the sick in order to fulfill your duty with great humanity. And please, do not forget to pray for me. Thank you.
(Original text in Spanish)

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