New York, NY—April 15, 1999—In a speech today at the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University philanthropist George Soros said his Open Society Institute would spend $15 million over three years to combat the corrupting influence of money in medicine. The funds will be funneled through a new program initiative to be called Medicine as a Profession (MAP).

Mr. Soros, known for his often controversial giving and ardent desire to foster debate, says that the troubling dominance of marketplace values in the teaching and practice of medicine today requires a fresh examination of the principles of professionalism.

"There is unanimity among doctors, deans, historians, and health economists that money has never been so much in the forefront of medicine or potentially so powerful in determining medical decisions," said Mr. Soros. "We have never more needed professional ethics to stand out against marketplace forces than now."

David J. Rothman, Professor of Social Medicine at Columbia and chair of the new program's advisory board, explained that the project intends to make professionalism relevant to a health care system undergoing revolutionary changes. "There must be more to a profession than marketplace considerations," he said. "Otherwise, why should professionals be accorded the public trust and discretion to set their own rules and ultimately enjoy the confidence of their patients?"

Medicine as a Profession will make funds available to bring together medical organizations and consumer organizations and make them a force for change. These alliances will work to monitor and promote quality of care; strengthen the accountability of health care to the community; and address such critically important ethical issues as the protection of patient privacy in an era dominated by new information technologies.

In addition, MAP will provide medical students and young physicians with opportunity to express the altruism and sense of service that brought them into medicine. The initiative will teach young medical professionals how to serve and how to advocate for their patients, particularly patients coming from underserved communities.

"This is a risky and ambitious enterprise," concluded Mr. Soros. "But I am convinced that medicine is too important to be left to the mercy of the marketplace. Together, physicians and consumers may be able to accomplish what neither of them could do alone."

The Open Society Institute has long supported the capacity building and institutional development necessary to ensure access to quality health care. The foundation's programs promote quality care at the end of life, the principles of harm reduction, the protection of women's right to reproductive health care, and preventing the spread of infectious diseases.

The Open Society Institute is a private operating and grantmaking foundation that develops and implements a variety of U.S.-based and international programs in the areas of educational, social, legal, and health care reform, and encourages public debate and policy alternatives in complex and often controversial fields. Established in 1993 and based in New York City, the Open Society Institute is part of the Soros foundations network, an informal network of nonprofit organizations created by George Soros and operating in more than 30 countries around the world.