Journal of Clinical Research & Bioethics

Abstract

Cultural Diversity and Quality Care in Lebanon

Fadi Abou-Mrad and Lubna Tarabey

The quality of medical care given to any patient is largely dependent on the treatment of an individual as a whole-a treatment that would cater to the physical, psychological, spiritual and mental aspects. In Lebanon, the medical field seems to be ignorant to this reality and continues to offer treatment that ignores the unity of the human person.
The objective of this study is to provide an insight to the importance of reintegrating the human person in the medical field, a process that requires the contribution of different support systems associated with health care. This would bring the topic into public dialogue allowing for a reassessment of the issue. The method utilized included semi structured interviews, seminars and open discussion panels that included a myriad of Lebanese religious authorities, physicians, legislators, parliament members and social activists. The outcome of these interviews and discussion revealed a contradiction between the ideological understanding of the importance of the value of the human person and the actual or practical application of this value. Most people who participated in the study acknowledged the importance of catering to the human in suffering as a whole focusing on the physiological aspect of illness but equally so on the spiritual, psychological and mental. However, those same people acknowledged that the situation in Lebanon was not considerate to the principle of unity of human person. The reasons for this discrepancy had their socio-economic and cultural roots and hindered the quality of care delivered to suffering individuals. This discrepancy cannot be overcome or ratified except when all those concerned with medical care acknowledge the problem and show a willingness to deal with it through taking positive action to rectify the situation.