Quote: Tim Walker @ November 1 2009, 8:25 PM BSTI'd prefer that both of us were treated and in the order of our clinical need, personally. I've not led by any means a blameless life in the past, and the positive contribution I have made to society has also brought me financial and other benefits already. I'd be shocked for any doctor presented with me and "the criminal" to prioritise treatment based on anything other than clinical need. It goes against the fundamental principles of being a doctor, it's not just my personal opinion. (And what if your hypothetical concerned two doctors both with head injuries - both otherwise "equal", other than one is a pioneering heart surgeon and the other a pioneering psychiatrist - what value systems do you have to bring to the table to prioritise between those two?)
How many honest, decent people die on hospital waiting lists every year? Why does it take so long for an ambulance to arrive? Why are there shortages of vital medicines and equipment? Why is there a 4 hour wait at every A&E?
Because the system has been overloaded and those who contribute nothing are treated in the exact same manner as those who have given everything.
Before you quote medical ethics, have a good look around you at the decisions made by practicing medical personnel on a daily basis. Because of a lack of resources, the fundamental priniciples have become a thing of the past.
Who should get the expensive new hip? Your mother? Or someone fresh off a plane from God knows where?
These are tough questions and they require tough answers. Many seem to disagree with the my solutions, please feel free to venture forth your own answers.
