ABOUT THE MESE
Medicolegal & Ethics Society of Ethiopia (MESE) is a not-for-profit professional society, registered by Agency for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO). Founded in April 2021, the MESE emerged from a need for health, legal professionals & associates to work together to improve medicolegal & ethical knowledge and promote patient safety & the right to health through advocacy, education, research, and supporting the system.
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The MESE also addresses the right to health and other related fundamental human rights, with special consideration given to specific groups such as women, children, persons with disabilities, migrants, persons living with HIV/AIDS, and marginalized groups, by supporting the state and other stakeholders to take steps to realize the right to health, and by monitoring the right to health and demand accountability at the national level.
Who We Are
MESE's primary objective is to advance the inter-relationships between medicine and law and to ensure excellence in medical-legal practice by promoting dialogue and mutual understanding between members of both professions, guided by justice, ethical practice, and constitutional values. Hence, we are a society of like-minded persons, who communicate with each other instantly and freely, to learn from one another and in so doing, promote competent medicolegal & ethical practice as well as patient safety & the right to health.
The MESE’s tagline, “Improve medicolegal & ethical knowledge, Promote patient safety & the right to health”, underscores our enduring commitment to assist professionals & institutions improve their medical law, legal medicine & ethical knowledge, make patient safety certain especially by taking necessary measures and precautions, as well as decision-making capabilities in reducing their liability risks; and to engage with policymakers that sufficient attention is paid to principles of the right to health (availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality) as they make decisions about the goals, resources, focus and scale of public health law reform activities.
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MESE is an independent, transparent, neutral, and educational organization, funded by membership contributions, donations, grants, sponsorships, income-generating events & teaching activities.
MESE doesn’t represent any group of persons. MESE does not advertise on behalf of any member except to make available on its website the names of its members.
MESE doesn’t provide medical or legal referrals or advice on established cases.
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The MESE is not, nor does it strive to be, a regulatory body.
MESE is apolitical. We do not produce position statements or determine policy.
Establishment of MESE
Founding Members
In 2020/21, a need assessment was conducted by Dr. Melkamu Meaza (Book title: Medical Law & Ethics in Ethiopia) which has identified gaps in areas of medical law, legal medicine, ethics, patient safety & the right to health; and proposed a new initiative to fill the gaps and building up through engaging with medical & law professionals as equal partners.
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The MESE is established on 04 April 2021, after the founding members from health & law fields have successfully conducted the first 3 special sessions: society formation, general assembly & executive committee meetings respectively.
Objectives
1. To improve medicolegal & ethical knowledge, and promote patient safety & the right to health.
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2. To advance the inter-relationships between medicine and law, members of the professions, and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and experience.
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3. To advance teaching courses on medicolegal, ethics, patient safety & the right to health, help establish the field of specialization at the postgraduate level.
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4. To promote the vital role of law in advancing the health & medicolegal system.
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5. To promote the doctrine of “First, do no harm”; 'then try to prevent it!' and ensure patient safety & safe health care.
6. To propose enactment, amendment, or repeal of laws to satisfy the current need of the health and medicolegal system.
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7. To conduct legal research to identify & find the laws that apply to the fact of medicolegal & ethical cases; find support for a specific issue or decision; publish a professional journal as the need arises.
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8. To provide high-quality and standard continuous professional development (CPD) courses.
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9. To collaborate & build mutual respect with local and international institutions & organizations.