Ethical Principles in Health Care

International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Ethical Principles in Health Care

Mission

Build transparent, resilient health systems through a set of shared principles that promote ethical decision making and behavior

Goals

The aim of the Ethical Principles in Health Care (EPiHC) is to provide a “compass” to help healthcare actors deal with the challenges of the healthcare landscape and help providers make a stronger contribution to the lives of their patients, their staff, the environment, and the communities they serve.

EPiHC also provides a forum for stakeholders to discuss common challenges and solutions.

The intention is for private healthcare providers to voluntarily commit to follow the EPiHC and for investors to expect this of investees.

Stakeholders

The Ethical Principles in Health Care (EPiHC) were developed under the leadership of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and are managed by an independent Secretariat.

The principles' scope covers private healthcare providers, payors and investors. Today, EPiHC is a global initiative whose signatories together own or manage over 6,000 healthcare facilities in more than 100 countries.

Activities

The principles are designed to be relevant to all sizes of organisations, business models and geographies, and to guide ethical practice expectations and decision-making, not create specific laws or performance standards. The 10 principles are:

  • Respecting Laws and Regulations
  • Making a Positive Contribution to Society
  • Promoting High-Quality Standards
  • Conducting Business Matters Responsibly
  • Respecting the Environment
  • Upholding Patients’ Rights
  • Safeguarding Information and Using Data Responsibly
  • Preventing Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying
  • Protecting and Empowering Staff
  • Supporting Ethical Practices and Preventing Harm

This information is gathered from open-source data and in some cases has been provided by initiative facilitators. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and do not take responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Please inform us of any errors by emailing us.

Start Year

Status

  • active
    The initiative or project is currently being worked on.

Countries Operations

    Countries Host

    Scope

    • global
      Initiative that is explicitly global in focus and mandate - i.e. not pertaining to specific countries.

    Industry

    Stakeholders

    • Private sector
      Privately owned commercial (for-profit) entities of all sizes, including SMEs
    • Civil society
      non-governmental organisations (national or international), foundations funded by private entities, faith-based organisations, Professional associations, Industry associations, Chambers of Commerce, Local Global Compact Networks

    Type

    • Engagement-focused initiative
      Joint declarations of intent, Joint capacity and learning initiatives, Industry-specific working groups, Joint events/awareness raising, Joint activities and integrity tools

    Linked resources

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