Health Ethics
Quiz
• Euthanasia in One word ?
• How many types of Euthanasia are there?
• Veracity in one word?
• What do understand by term Non-Maleficence?
• Susuruta Samhita is mend for ??
• Who was Hippocrates? And what contribution did he gave to the field of medicine?
• Component of medical ethics
Health Policy & health Care
Objective
• Right to Health The human rights at issue Issues related to the right to health • Distributive Justice of health care Principles of distributive justice Ethical problems Measures to safeguard • Health policy • Objectives & the factors to be considered • Issues
Right to Health
• Article 35 of Universal Declaration of Human rights states, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well being of himself and his family , including food, clothing and housing and medical care and necessary social services.”
Reference : http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
• In 1946 The WHO declared that the “Enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health as one of the fundamental rights of every human being without deicrimination of race, religion , political belief, economic and social condition.
The human rights at issue:
• The rights to equitable distribution of food.
• The human rights for access to safe drinking water & sanitation.
• The human rights to be an adequate standard of living & adequate housing.
• The human rights to a safe & healthy environment.
• The human rights to a safer & healthy workplace.
Issues related to the right to health
• Cost of medical treatment
• Lack of awareness of health education and distributive justice
• Standard of living of the society
• Unequal resource distribution
• Lack of awareness about various health policy
Distributive Justice of health care
What is distributive justice?
The four main principles of medical ethics are respect for autonomy, beneficence, non- maleficence and justice. Obligations of justice may be further subdivided into:
1. Distributive justice - the fair distribution of healthcare resources (which may be scarce)
2. Rights-based justice - the respect for people's rights
3. Legal justice - the respect for morally acceptable laws.
Principles of distributive Justice
– to each person an equal share
– to each person according to need
– to each person according to effort
– to each person according to contribution
– to each person according to merit
Ethical Problems arises when
• Distribution of health care services is unsatisfactory
• Disparity between group of people and between religions.
• Allocation of the resources to the healthcare facility is insufficient
• No fair distribution or inequality in allocation of the resources.
• Poverty – greatest threat to health • Socio- economic conditions to the society.
A set of decision or commitment to persue course of action aimed at achieving defined goal of improving health.
Objectives
• to achieve an acceptance standard of good health amongst general population of the country.
• More equitable access to health service.
• to increase public health investment
• emphasis laid on rational use of drug within the allopathic system.
The policy introduces with an aim of :
• elimination of poverty
• raising the level of nutrition, ignorance and ill health
• improvement of public health
• securing the health care strength of workers , men and women especially insuring that children's are given opportunities and facilities to develop in healthy manner.
Factors need to be considered while making Health policy
• Medical & Health care Indicators • Availability of medical and health intervention
for the individual and society • Patients and doctors preferences • Improvement of the quality of life of the
individual and the society • Values held by society such as justice • Cost of healthcare for the individual and the
society • Overall good of the society.
Scope of health Policy
• Caring
• Promotion of health care by imoroving the life style
• Prevention of the disease – better water supply sanitation, immunization
• Primary and emergency care
• Prevention of environmental pollution.