Medical ethics during armed conflicts: Dilemmas of a physician soldier.

A Military Physician is expected to fulfill the dual role of a humane physician and a patriotic soldier. But both these professions are principally very different from each other, a soldier above all is supposed to have utmost loyalty towards his country and protect national security at all costs. Whereas a doctor has moral obligations towards his patients and is required to treat ill or wounded irrespective of caste, creed, or nationality. Military physicians bridge these two professions based on the principles of humanity, impartiality, and neutrality. The present paper attempts to explore the challenges faced by military physicians in adhering to professional ethos especially during an armed conflict and provides an overview of various regulations and declarations in vogue for guiding military physicians in times of ethical and obligatory dilemmas.