Tête-à-Tête with Bioethics

Episode 8: From Poets to Pariahs

In this special World TB Day episode of Tête-à-Tête, we dive into the dark and fascinating history of Tuberculosis. How did a disease once romanticized as the beautiful, tragic "White Plague" of the Victorian elite become a deeply stigmatized illness of the marginalized? Join us as we explore the intersection of medical history and modern bioethics, unpacking the Inverse Care Law and the ethical clash between public health mandates and individual liberty. Because on the respiratory wards, treating the pathogen simply isn't enough if we ignore the social failures that allow it to thrive.

With Women’s Day approaching, this episode explores a powerful question at the crossroads of history, medicine, and ethics: Who gets to be called a healer — and who gets labeled dangerous? From persecuted midwives to forgotten pioneers of women’s health, we reflect on how credibility in healthcare has often been shaped by more than just science.

Leprosy is not a disease of the past — it remains a public health concern that requires awareness, early detection, and compassion.

Caused by Mycobacterium leprae, leprosy is completely curable with timely diagnosis and multidrug therapy. However, stigma and discrimination continue to affect individuals and families more than the disease itself.

Join us as we observe World Leprosy Day through an awareness initiative highlighting the importance of early treatment, ethical responsibility, and social inclusion in healthcare.

Welcome to Season 5 episode 5 of Tete-a-Tete with Bioethics

The Kate Cox Case and the Limits of Autonomy

This short episode explores a real-life case where patient autonomy and informed consent existed, yet were ultimately denied due to legal and political constraints.

This episode invites listeners to reflect on a difficult but important question:

Who truly controls healthcare decisions: the patient, the doctor, or the system?

This episode tackles the escalating ethical crisis of antimicrobial resistance — where medicine, public policy, and human rights intersect. From historic missteps in antibiotic stewardship to the widening global inequalities that shape who lives and who dies from drug-resistant infections, we explore how AMR threatens not just microbes, but moral frameworks worldwide.

Dedicated to World AMR Awareness Week (18–24 November), this episode examines:

Who decides how life-saving antibiotics are allocated — balancing individual patient needs with collective responsibility.

The tension between survival and long-term societal impact — as overuse today fuels untreatable infections tomorrow.

Global inequities in AMR preparedness — where some regions lack basic diagnostics while others misuse last-line drugs.

How ethics reshaped infection control — from the early denial of microbial evolution to the modern demand for stewardship, transparency, and accountability.

💜 AMR may be invisible, but the ethical dilemmas it creates shape the future of healthcare. 💜

Welcome to Season 5 Episode 3 of Tete-a-Tete with Bioethics

Dive into the world of Bioethics!

From its origins and landmark cases to the four guiding principles—beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice—this episode unpacks it all.

Join us to understand how ethics shapes modern medicine and the future of healthcare.

🗣 Welcome to Tête-à-tête Season 5 Episode 1 – Medicine’s Forgotten Guinea Pigs. An unflinching look at how vulnerable communities in India were turned into test subjects for global pharma, from Bhopal gas tragedy survivors to slum dwellers and children, exposing consent violations, hidden deaths, and the fight for accountability. 🗣

Step into the ethical grey zone with Conflict of Interest – where intentions blur, decisions clash, and integrity is put to the test!

Welcome to 'Tête-à-tête' episode 9 An exploration of the Devadasi system, a tradition where girls are dedicated to temples in the name of faith, tracing its origins, the exploitation and human rights abuses it led to, and the ongoing fight for justice and reform.