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.