Culture, Ethics and Medicine in South Asia

Abstract

The criteria for health are not well defined, and they vary from culture to culture and from time to time. This paper discusses cultural influences on ethics in medical practice and research in South Asia, the poor cousin of the Western world. South Asian culture is a conglomeration of many religions like Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Christianity, and civilizations, which have been influenced in the later era by the Western medicine during the colonial period. The rich past heritage had had its own role.  In recent years, South Asia has emerged as an important destination of translational research, for which it is crucial that ethical standards are maintained to prevent exploitation of the general population.