SAMA’s principled positioning in upholding global medical ethics

In October 2025, the South African Medical Association (SAMA) suspended all professional and bilateral relations with the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) and called for its suspension from the World Medical Association, citing the IMA’s failure to uphold medical ethics amid Israel’s ongoing military assault on Gaza’s health system. This decisive action follows similar, though less forceful, motions by other national associations, including the British Medical Association, and reflects SAMA’s commitment to ethical accountability under international humanitarian law. Drawing historical parallels with the medical profession’s complicity during apartheid, this article argues that SAMA’s stance constitutes ethical stewardship rather than politicisation, affirming that neutrality in the face of systematic violations of medical ethics equates to complicity. The piece situates SAMA’s decision within a broader call for global medical solidarity, ethical clarity and adherence to the principles of medical neutrality and human rights.