Medical professionalism in times of COVID-19 pandemic: is economic logic trumping medical ethics?

Medical professionalism faced a crisis of identity prior to the current COVID-19 pandemic, with unresolved issues of conflict of interest and notions emphasizing professional and academic misconduct dominating its discourse. declining trust among all stakeholders emphasized the need for professional accountability and integrity while encouraging control by external agents, logics and mechanisms. In response, medical professionals committed to stewardship and just distribution of finite resources and provision of high value, cost-conscious care. To meet these challenging issues, medical professionals need to examine their roles and responsibilities above and beyond their “office”, serving as an immediate actor of change and improvement in health care systems. However, the ongoing pandemic setting exposed the tragic limits of such professional aspirations.