Statement from the Medical Neglect Campaign: Systematic Torture Directed at the Doctors’ Syndicate

Urgent statement

“Medical neglect is systematic torture.. towards activating the Medical Ethics Charter inside prisons”

On the occasion of the World Day in Support of Victims of Torture (26 June)

In light of the historical, ethical, and legal responsibility of the Doctors’ Syndicate, and on the World Day in Support of Victims of Torture, we call on the Egyptian Doctors’ Syndicate to renew its strict commitment to protecting human dignity and the inherent right to life and physical and psychological integrity—rights that are not forfeited under any penalty involving deprivation of liberty.

We affirm that intentional medical neglect, or failing to provide healthcare to detainees and prisoners, constitutes another face of systematic torture and of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, and represents a flagrant violation of the ethics of the medical profession and of relevant national laws and international instruments.

First: Ethical Reference and the Professional Oath

We call on the Syndicate to remind all its members—especially those working in prisons and places of detention—of the oath they swore before God and in front of society:

“That I will fear God in my profession, and that I will safeguard human life in all its stages, in every circumstance and condition, exerting my efforts to save it from destruction, disease, and pain, and that I will not use my medical knowledge for evil, nor willingly or unwillingly use any means that leads to harming a patient.”

The code of medical practice, from the Declaration of Geneva to the Declaration of Tokyo issued by the World Medical Association, prohibits the physician from participating in, colluding with, disregarding, or remaining silent about any practices involving torture or ill-treatment. Medical ethics also emphasizes that the patient’s interests and the independence of medical decision-making prevail over any political or security considerations.

Second: The Syndicate’s Role Regarding Violations

The Doctors’ Syndicate is required to carry out its oversight and accountability role regarding any violations committed by its members. In this context, we emphasize the following:

1- Disciplinary accountability

The necessity of immediate and decisive action in response to any complaints or reports indicating that doctors are involved in intentional medical neglect, falsifying medical reports to conceal the effects of torture, refusing to provide the necessary healthcare, or denying any detainee treatment. We also call for referring violators to the professional conduct committees and the competent disciplinary bodies, and for imposing appropriate penalties that may reach the final removal from the Syndicate’s registers and the prohibition of practicing the profession.

2- Independence of medical decision-making

Providing full protection for doctors working in prisons and places of detention to ensure the independence of their medical decisions, away from any security or administrative pressures or directives—so that they can perform their duty solely in accordance with professional conscience and medical ethics.

3- Oversight mechanisms and visits

Activating joint committees comprising representatives of the Syndicate, independent human rights entities, and the competent judicial authorities to conduct periodic visits to prison hospitals and detention centers, and to assess the level of medical care provided to detainees and the extent to which it aligns with medical and human standards.

Third: Rejecting Collusion with Torture and Impunity

We affirm that the doctor’s responsibility is not limited to providing treatment only; it also extends to refusing to participate in any violations, covering them up, or remaining silent about them.

Accordingly, we call on the Doctors’ Syndicate to:

• Declare a clear position criminalizing the participation of any doctor in acts of torture or ill-treatment or collusion with them in any form whatsoever.

• Require doctors working in prisons and places of detention to report any evidence of torture or violations they become aware of by virtue of their work, and to provide professional and legal protection for whistleblowers.

• Open independent investigations into all incidents in which there is suspicion of covering up torture, issuing medical reports that do not reflect the truth, or refusing to document injuries and violations.

• Emphasize that silence about torture or covering up its perpetrators constitutes a serious violation of the medical oath and of professional ethics, and violates the Constitution, national laws, and relevant international instruments.

Participating in torture, covering it up, or refraining from disclosing its perpetrators is not only a betrayal of the noble humanitarian message of medicine; it is also a violation of the professional oath, the laws regulating the profession, constitutional principles, and international obligations related to protecting human rights. Moreover, ethical and legal responsibility is not subject to statute of limitations, and no position or job cover will prevent accountability and prosecution.

Fourth: A Message to Doctors Working Inside Prisons and Detention Facilities

To every doctor working behind the walls of prisons and places of detention:

It is your professional and human duty to monitor any deterioration in the health condition of any detainee, and to demand that they be transferred immediately to university or specialized hospitals whenever their condition requires it.

Always remember that “the imprisoned patient is a patient first and last,” and that the doctor’s duty is to protect human life and alleviate pain—not to be a silent witness to suffering or a partner in it through silence or negligence.

History does not forget, and justice may be delayed but it will not disappear. Ethical and legal responsibility will remain before the human conscience, before society, and before justice. Your Syndicate must be a support for every doctor who holds fast to their professional oath, and it must hold accountable everyone who neglects it or misuses their medical authority to harm a person or deprive them of their right to treatment and life.

Long live the medical profession’s noble humanitarian message, and may God preserve human dignity and the right to life, treatment, and freedom.

World Day in Support of Victims of Torture

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