My background in medicine taught me at an early age that the ethics of medicine are to do no harm to the patient and put the patient’s needs first. If medicine was only about the rate of financial return then more patients would be put through unnecessary tests to generate income or given medicines that provided financial incentive to the doctor. We view those situations as wrong and unethical.

I’d love to hear your feedback on how different professions can have different ethical norms or should banking be like medicine and place the best care and treatment of the customer as a cornerstone in ethical banking?

Here are the principal of medical ethics and do they put the customer first but vary from what we consider to be the principals of banking ethics?

Shouldn't ethical behavior be the same across professions?

Principles of medical ethics
I. A physician shall be dedicated to providing competent medical care, with compassion and respect for human dignity and rights.
II. A physician shall uphold the standards of professionalism, be honest in all professional interactions, and strive to report physicians deficient in character or competence, or engaging in fraud or deception, to appropriate entities.
III. A physician shall respect the law and also recognize a responsibility to seek changes in those requirements which are contrary to the best interests of the patient.
IV. A physician shall respect the rights of patients, colleagues, and other health professionals, and shall safeguard patient confidences and privacy within the constraints of the law.
V. A physician shall continue to study, apply, and advance scientific knowledge, maintain a commitment to medical education, make relevant information available to patients, colleagues, and the public, obtain consultation, and use the talents of other health professionals when indicated.
VI. A physician shall, in the provision of appropriate patient care, except in emergencies, be free to choose whom to serve, with whom to associate, and the environment in which to provide medical care.
VII. A physician shall recognize a responsibility to participate in activities contributing to the improvement of the community and the betterment of public health.
VIII. A physician shall, while caring for a patient, regard responsibility to the patient as paramount.
IX. A physician shall support access to medical care for all people.

Please feel free to join in the larger discussion about banking ethics at The Ethical Banker.