healthcare ethical issues

Introduction

Everywhere in the world, healthcare has saved lives. With the development of life support systems and organ transplantation, modern medicine has offered individuals hope where there was once only despair. However, there are a lot of difficulties that doctors must overcome in order to fulfill their duties. Regardless of the patient’s mental state, doctors are required to respect the patient’s requests. Due to a medicine scarcity, they occasionally have to change the treatment procedure. In rare circumstances, doctors must refuse patients’ requests for medical care because they cannot afford it. Therefore, we should try to understand the problems that healthcare providers face instead of criticizing them. Patients have a right to privacy and freedom of movement. However, infectious diseases endanger healthy individuals; it may, therefore, be necessary to restrict individuals’ liberty and privacy to protect the remaining members of the society. In some cases, governments have taken almost extreme measures to ensure the safety of their citizens. In 2002 to 2003, there was an outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in North America and Asia (Organization, 2015). The control measures utilized included placing the infected persons in quarantine, calling off social gatherings and closing schools. In the long run, the governments realized that some of the measures were unnecessary. However, when the outcomes of an epidemic are unknown these actions are justified.

Mental Health Challenges

Mental health is also an important field of healthcare yet it is often ignored. Mental health and disorders resulting from substance abuse are the main causes of disability in the world. People suffering from psychiatric issues face a lot of stigma from the society (Schneider, 2016). A psychiatrist does not know whether to assume that the patient has a right to act abnormally because of their condition or to refuse a certain form of treatment. Patients have the right to choose the type of treatment they want; however, an individual with a mental disorder may not be in the state to make the right health decision. There are instances in which doctor have a hard time diagnosing the disease the symptoms of psychiatric disorders overlap.

End of Life Decisions

Moreover, addressing end of life issues is also a challenging topic in healthcare. There are technological advancements that can prolong life. However, these methods do not promise recovery. Patients have a difficult time whether or not to use this option. In situations where the person chooses to end his life sooner and not use this technology, the healthcare providers have to respect their wishes even if they do not support the decision (Kanekar, 2016). The role of a physician is to give the patient detailed information about the available options. They should also provide information about the effects of administering and withdrawing a particular type of treatment.

Shortage of Medical Supplies

In addition to this, there has been an increasing shortage of medical supplies in the USA which is a big problem for federal regulators, patients, healthcare facilities, and doctors. Generic cancer medication is at risk of shortages (Abassi, 2016). There is also a limited supply of propofol, heart medications, hydro morphine, amino acids, leucovorin and intravenous electrolytes. The shortage might be due to regulatory issues, manufacturing problems, and poor business decisions. In a survey of doctors who advised patients to undergo chemotherapy, 82.7% were unable to prescribe the preferred medication for almost six months due to shortages (Abassi, 2016). At least 75% of the physicians had to specify alternative treatment methods or substitute for another drug treatment.

Ethical Considerations in Organ Donation

Organ donation is a ray of hope for family members of the recipient. Despite its success, organ it has significant ethical and moral obligations. The recipient must put in the effort to ensure that the organ survives and the body does not reject it; the patients must undergo numerous clinical trials and take medication for long durations (Simpson, 2012). Healthcare professionals should make sure that the organs are in their best condition and that the recipient and his/her family get the highest standard of care. There is also a shortage of the organs available for patients. In the UK, the ratio of the number of patients to the possible organs is 7:1.

Access to Healthcare for All

Finally, healthcare institutions globally are faced with dilemmas when it comes to caring for patients without the necessary funds. Physicians have the responsibility of saving lives and preventing/relieving suffering (Srinivasan, 2013). However, the medicine and equipment used in hospitals and clinics are not cheap. Treating patients who cannot afford to pay for the expenses would result in bankruptcy and even closure of the institutions. Most members of the public complain of favoritism of the wealthy in the provision of healthcare without considering the challenge that the institutions face. To solve this problem, many governments have created healthcare insurance covers that cater to the medical expenses of patients depending on their monthly payments.

Conclusion

There are various ethical issues in the provision of healthcare worldwide. These include the restriction of patient privacy and freedom, challenges in mental health cases, end of life decisions, shortage of medical supplies, problems regarding organ donations, and denial of care for some patients. Healthcare providers have the responsibility to save lives and ease the pain in patients. However, they also have to respect the patients’ decisions on their preferred mode of treatment whether they advocate for it or not. In some cases, the patients do not choose the best intervention for their conditions, but the physicians have to respect their wishes.

References

Abassi, L. (2016). Drug Shortages: Ethics and Implications. American Council on Science and Health.

Kanekar, S. K. (2016). Ethical Issues Surrounding End-of-Life Care: A Narrative Review. Healthcare.

The organization, W. H. (2015). Health ethics in practice: key issues and challenges. Global Health Issues.

Schneider, M. R. (2016). Clinical and Social Contexts of Ethical Issues in Mental Health Care. AMA Journal of Ethics.

Simpson, P. (2012). What are the issues in organ donation in 2012? British Journal of Anaesthesia.

Srinivasan, C. C. (2013). Ethical Issues in the healthcare sector in India. Science Direct.