C. Jeff Miller once said: “Body and soul cannot be separated for purposes of treatment, for they are one and indivisible.   Sick minds must be healed as well as sick bodies.”  The assertion has much relevance to the Cyprus problem, where effort after effort to bring Cypriots together by means of politics has failed leaving ordinary Cypriots feeling excluded. Often this is the result of petty party political blame games and the failure to stand up against the choking grip of nationalism. There are few professions including politics in which Cypriots cannot avoid the temptation to blame the ‘other’ side to exempt them or their ‘side’ of responsibility in a shared problem. 

In a world, where there are few professions where ethnicity, religion and language actually mean very little, doctors are reuniting Cypriots before the politicians. Stitching the divide, doctors are leading the way…. 

DOCTORS TO THE RESCUE

Doctors are joining in the reunification effort in Cyprus. Despite the physical divide, Greek and Turkish Cypriot physicians have recently launched “Doctors for Cyprus” (D4C) an exciting new initiative in Cyprus injecting medical ethics and professionalism to help bridge the divide in Cyprus. A bicommunal group, Doctors for Cyprus (D4C) includes all Cypriots, Greek, Turkish, Maronite, Armenian and Latin in one umbrella grouping working together for the benefit of public health on their common island country. According to a Press Release distributed by the group, "Doctors for Cyprus" aims to contribute to efforts for cooperation between Cypriot scientists in health matters, in prevention and in dealing with humanitarian issues in Cyprus and abroad. Doctors for Cyprus says it hopes to reunite Cyprus and to secure a common peaceful homeland for the generations to come.

"Scientists, over and beyond any feelings of hatred and conflict, in the medical profession have always been able to circumvent dividing lines and promote joint programmes to treat illness and human pain," the press release adds. The association notes that some of these joint programmes are already underway. The doctors meet as teams of experts from the islands two communities continue to meet to discuss day to day concerns as well as core issues relating to the Cyprus question.

Its founding members are daughter of Costas Misaoulis, Stella Demetriou Misaouli and Dr Arif Ali Albayrak. Stella Demetriou Misaouli is a founding member of the bi-communal organisation "Doctors for Cyprus", member of the Advisory Committee for the prevention of accidents and poisoning of children of the Ministry of Health and member of the KENTHEA-Nicosia (Centre for Information about Drugs and Treatment for Drug-Addicted Persons). The other founder is Dr Arif Ali Albayrak one of the directors of "Doctors For Cyprus."  
 
 

HUMANITARIANISM AND CODE OF ETHICS

Perhaps the best candidates to lead a peace process, Doctors are trained to deal with humanitarian issues with professionalism and are taught and required by their code of ethics not to discriminate between patients. It was because of this professionalism and code of ethics that during the August 1999 earthquake in Istanbul, Turkey a team of Greek Cypriot doctors helped save the lives of Istanbul earthquake victims. Indian Express summarized a rare incident where like doctors, ordinary Greek Cypriots began to see their traditional ‘enemy’ in a different light. (Aid floodgates open as toll mounts, Indian Express, Friday, August 20, 1999) “There is no love lost between Turkey and Greek Cypriots. They have spent the most part of three decades vilifying one another over the political situation which divides the island. “The internationally recognised Cyprus Government has no diplomatic relations with Turkey, which supports a breakaway Turkish Cypriot mini-state in the North. “But the magnitude of the catastrophe that struck its northern neighbour has touched many in Cyprus, which made the unprecedented move on Wednesday of offering medical aid.”

Such humanity is the reason Greek and Turkish Cypriot doctors worked together helping Pakistani earthquake victims years later and why larger groups like Medicins sans frontiers (Doctors without borders) have for years conducted humanitarian work abroad providing help wherever it is needed without question.

Medicine is one of the few professions where a code of ethics is essential to your work and is why every doctor is required to abide by it. By contrast, in politics such a code of ethics is only voluntarily adopted by a few politicians and is rarely ever practised. But to give you an idea of what the requirements of Medical code of ethics is, consider the World Medical Association Declaration of Geneva (1948) Physician's Oath. The oath requires that a doctor “will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics or social standing to intervene between my duty and my patient; will maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of conception, even under threat not to use their medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity and with a clearly fraternal view of other doctors, the oath requires that doctors “will maintain by all the means in my power, the honor and the noble traditions of the medical profession; my colleagues will be my brothers.”

Similarly the British Medical code of ethics requires that doctors: “Respect the patient's individuality and beliefs, explain treatments in a way that a patient can understand and listen to the patient's views, respect the patient's rights to be involved in their treatment and be prepared to explain the chosen course of treatment to patients and colleagues. If only Cypriot politicians from the Right and Left respected individuality and diversity amongst its loyal members, if only the same politicians who make a career out of the Cyprus problem involve the Cypriots who will be affected by any decisions that are made and explain the peace process to them. 
 

IMPORTANCE OF BICOMMUNAL GROUPS

Apart from the politicians who are expected to safeguard their party line above all else, ordinary Cypriots must be made to feel apart of the current peace process, influence and share its decision making and to take responsibility for it. Bicommunal groupings, events and meetings provide a perfect opportunity for this at every level and encourage the interaction of Cypriots from different religio-linguistic backgrounds that may not have had much contact with each other. From my own experience, bicommunal or multi-communal groups of Cypriots work independently on various projects puts Cypriots in a  position where they see each other in a different light, where they learn from one another and where the seeds of long lasting friendship is sown. After 43 years of physical division, the effects of bicommunal groups can be more meaningful to a peace process than the business like atmosphere of technical or working committees. It is not enough to find a solution to Cyprus, the wounds of Cyprus need to heal.

Cyprus needs more bicommunal groups as does the diaspora who influences Cyprus. But these bicomunal groups do not have to be affiliated to political parties. They do not have to attach to traditional pro-reunification AKEL or CTP. In fact it would be better if they were not. Civil society need to lay the building blocks of a future Cyprus reunited away from the clutches of party politics, where ethics like policies fluctuate like figures in a stick exchange. Like doctors who ignore borders, cease fire lines and flags and languages any progress, any serious step towards reunification must be followed by a commitment not just to work for the benefit of one single Cypriot community to the detriment of all others but to work for the service of humanity. I’m not asking you to put on surgical aprons, but everybody has a role. Perhaps it is time we applied some medical ethics to resolve the Cyprus issue.