MANIFESTO of the medical community on the role of Russian health workers in the armed aggression against the people of Ukraine

Standing on the principles of humanity, compassion and impartiality as the basis of medical professions;

Recognizing the supremacy of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions;

Being deeply moved by the horrific crimes against humanity committed en masse and cynically by Russian troops;

Strongly condemning the targeted attacks by Russian troops on civilians, medical personnel, medical vehicles and health facilities;

Defining human life as the highest value to be guided by health professionals;

Emphasizing that the ethical principles of the medical profession cannot be paused or applied selectively;

Given the high authority and influence on public opinion of health professionals in modern society;

Recalling the responsibilities of health professionals in educating the population;

Emphasizing the humanitarian duty of health workers to give emergency care in person, as long as there is no certainty that others are willing and able to give such care;

Guided by the ethical obligation not to remain silent and to respond appropriately to the unethical practice in our profession,

We, the representatives of the medical community, declare the following:

1. Russian health workers, being the elite of Russian society and having respect and daily confidential communication with patients representing the Russian population, have allowed and continue to allow unprecedented levels of unmotivated Russian aggression against the Ukrainian people, approval of murders, rapes, looting, crimes against dignity during the unjustified invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine.
2. Russian health workers have let and continue to let numerous war crimes by Russian citizens: the use of prohibited weapons of mass and indiscriminate destruction, the deliberate killing of defenseless civilians, tortures, hostage-taking and forced deportations, abductions and summary executions of people, including children, deliberate destructions of residential buildings and vital infrastructure, forced military mobilization in the occupied territories, targeted attacks on medical institutions and medical personnel, rapes and gang rapes, including of minors, which in their totality and systematicity meet the definition of genocide of the Ukrainian people. At the same time, Russian medical personnel did not take any active steps to prevent these terrible and inhumane crimes.
3. Russian health workers did not take the necessary and sufficient actions to provide emergency and medical care in the Russian-occupied territories, did not facilitate the delivery of drinking water, food, first aid and medicine to the surrounding settlements, for which access to humanitarian goods from Ukraine was deliberately blocked Russian troops, which resulted in many civilian casualties.
4. Thus, the failure of Russian health workers to respond violates the basic principles of medical deontology, undermines public confidence in the medical worker as a representative of the most humane profession, has led and continues to lead to new deaths, injuries and suffering.

 

In this regard, we call on the world medical community to immediately suspend any cooperation and interaction with representatives of the Russian medical professions, including the following measures:

1. Suspension of participation of physicians and pharmacists of the Russian Federation in professional international conferences, congresses, symposiums, seminars, round tables and other events;
2. Suspension of any scientific interaction with physicians and pharmacists from the Russian Federation, including joint research, scientific publications, access to scientific journals , scientometric databases and information technology (sites, services, applications);
3. Suspension of recognition of diplomas in medical and pharmaceutical education issued in the Russian Federation and promotion of refusal of foreign students to study in medical and pharmaceutical educational institutions of the aggressor country;
4. Suspension of participation of citizens of the Russian Federation and Russian organizations in international medical and pharmaceutical associations and professional communities.

Aiming to cease hostilities and end suffering as soon as possible, to restore the high status of the medical profession and return trust in the medical community, we consider it possible to resume suspended interactions after fulfilling all the following conditions:

• complete cessation of Russian aggression against Ukraine by Russian troops,
• condemning the Russian military invasion by the National Medical Chamber and the National Pharmaceutical Chamber of the Russian Federation and joining these statements by Russian medical and pharmaceutical professionals, respectively,
• assistance by Russian health workers in the identification, search and return to the controlled territory of Ukraine of all Ukrainian citizens kept as prisoners or forcibly transferred to the territory of the Russian Federation,
• ensuring universal access to medical care and vital medicines in all temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,
• facilitating the investigation and trial of the International Criminal Court to establish those involved (including medical personnel) in the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the implementation by the Russian Federation of International Criminal Court verdict against those accused of crimes.

 

By joining this manifesto, I support the statement made and undertake to contribute to the achievement of the goals of the Manifesto both by personal initiative and in one or more of the following ways.

I will condemn Russia's aggression and the inaction of Russian medical professionals in communicating with colleagues and in public speeches.

I will inform the professional community about known cases of professional and scientific interaction with Russian medical professionals and facilitate a proper response.                                                                                                                 | will send to freefromrus@gmail.com|

I will provide personal contacts to obtain links to thematic publications that are worth disseminating in the information environment.

                                                     | fill out the form https://forms.gle/wpQUdnSkwPfABHAf8|

     I wish to join the volunteer information efforts aimed at achieving the goals of the manifesto.

| fill out the application form to join the volunteer group https://forms.gle/h5YXBnPefVhx5PHSA|

• Faculty of Medicine