WORLD Medical Association (WMA) president Dr Ashok Philip says health workers must be alert to the intrusion of political agendas into healthcare. In his inaugural speech as WMA president (2024/2025), Dr Philip also noted the need to interrogate whether profit-seeking, as seen in the commercial arena, should be allowed free rein in medical situations. “Professional autonomy means primarily the freedom to make clinical decisions about the care of individual patients. This is what most of us think of when we mention autonomy, and in my opinion is the aspect most under threat. If we let this autonomy be taken away or diminished, our patients will suffer. Issues of accessibility and rationing on healthcare budgets may arise, and again it is...