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BMJ No 7093 Volume 314 Medicopolitical digest Saturday 24 May 1997 WMA appoints new secretary general The World Medical Association (WMA) has appointed a 34 year old South African doctor as its next secretary general. Dr Delon Human succeeds Dr Ian Field, who will retire later this year after four years in the post. At its recent council meeting the association approved a resolution calling on doctors and researchers to abstain from participating in the cloning of human beings until the scientific, ethical, and legal issues have been fully considered by doctors and scientists and any necessary controls put in place. Calling for a ban on all advertising and sales promotion of tobacco products, except at the point of sale, the WMA council will ask all national medical associations and doctors not to accept funding from the tobacco industry and urge medical schools, research institutions, and researchers to do the same. The WMA will circulate a declaration on palliative care from the Belgian Medical Association to all national medical associations. The paper refers to excessive medical zeal possibly producing unnecessary suffering in patients who are terminally ill for whom no life saving treatment is envisaged. It recommends that patients should be allowed to decide for themselves when they should receive palliative care and discontinue curative treatment, provided that in the opinion of three doctors there is no reasonable chance of recovery. The association will also circulate a proposed statement supporting doctors who refuse to participate in or condone the use of torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Home | Current issue | Past issues | Classified ads | Career Focus | Feedback Collections | About this site | About the BMJ | BMA | Medline