Abstract

Bioethics as a branch of professional ethics has rapidly expanded in recent years. The growth of interest in bioethics is the result of its focus on life, its value, as well as the questions about health, medicine and problems which are involved. Bioethics is included within the lessons of ethical education in primary and secondary schools in Slovakia. As an independent subject it creates part of the compulsory curriculum in the study programme of ethics at university. It is noteworthy that bioethics also keeps an important place in the education of future doctors at Medical Faculties. It gives rise to an interesting question; what about doctors’ long-term performance in their profession? Do they need knowledge of medical ethics when performing their job? This article tries to answer these questions. It points out that teaching medical ethics is relevant/necessary at primary schools, secondary schools, for students of ethics, medical students and other health care professionals as well as for practising physicians.