Kerman University of Medical Sciences International Journal of Health Policy and Management 2322-5939 15 1 2026 12 01 The World Medical Association: The Voice of Physicians in the Turbulence Between Ethical Rigor and Geopolitical Imperatives 1 7 4882 10.34172/ijhpm.9649 EN Meriem Gaddas Research Laboratory LR12SP09 ‘Heart Failure,’ Farhat HACHED University Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia Department of Physiology and Functional Explorations, Farhat HACHED University Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia Faculty of Medicine ‘Ibn el Jazzar’ of Sousse, University of Sousse, Sousse, Tunisia 0000-0002-8836-767X Helmi Ben Saad Research Laboratory LR12SP09 ‘Heart Failure,’ Farhat HACHED University Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia Department of Physiology and Functional Explorations, Farhat HACHED University Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia Faculty of Medicine ‘Ibn el Jazzar’ of Sousse, University of Sousse, Sousse, Tunisia 0000-0002-7477-2965 Journal Article 2025 12 02 This editorial examined the enduring ties between medicine and political power, highlighting how the World Medical Association (WMA) arose in response to recurring ethical crises involving physicians. Created after the Second World War alongside new international institutions, the WMA aimed to protect professional autonomy and defend medical neutrality. Over the decades, it has acted as an ethical counterbalance within global health governance, especially through collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). Yet history shows that political pressures have repeatedly compromised medical practice, generating dual-loyalty dilemmas, human rights violations, and scandals that erode public trust. The WMA has sometimes responded firmly—suspending national associations, issuing statements during conflicts, or challenging unethical state policies—though its actual influence remains contested. Internal political divisions have often slowed or limited its actions. Today’s (ie, mid-March 2026) severe degradation of health systems in conflict zones reinforces the need to renew core ethical principles through collective responsibility and vigilance. https://www.ijhpm.com/article_4882_c348616cd8a86ee661c7c98800678fad.pdf