Ethical Leadership in Health Sciences: A Short Review on Moral Theories Guiding Health Practitioners in South Africa

Abstract

Moral theories play an important role in the shape of healthcare institutions and health practitioners. Under the recently described VUCA world, the health science discipline has been confronted with ethical dilemmas and work burdens due to the socio-cultural politics globally, and this has been reported widely in South Africa due to the population and migration of foreign nationals. This commentary reviewed recent studies in ethical leadership, and moral theories, where deontology, consequentialism, and virtue ethics were used as lenses to trouble the current approaches to ethical leadership and moral theories in health science. In brief the study used contextual analysis, it was observed that the common setting, applying the interpretation and application of these theories ethically are essential for preserving patients’ rights,  ensuring equitable care, and maintaining professional integrity under any socio-cultural political stances of any country.