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Moral Dilemmas in Health Care Service
Moral Dilemmas in Health Care Service
Scenario:
Carrie is a doctor working in a hospital. Due to an accident in the building next
door, there are deadly fumes rising up through the hospital’s ventilation system.
In a certain room of the hospital are four of her patients. In another room there is
one of her patients. If she does nothing the fumes will rise up into the room
containing the four patients and cause their deaths. The only way to avoid the
deaths of these patients is to hit the switch that will cause the fumes to bypass
the room containing the four patients. As a result of doing this, the fumes will
enter the room containing the single patient (against her will). If she does this, the
woman will die, but the other four patients will live.
Should Carrie hit the switch in order to save four patients? (Explain)
Yes, Carrie should hit the switch to save the four patients. But before
that, she can get help by transferring one of her patients in an another room or
together in the room of her four patients as quickly as possible. After that,
report it to the people who knows how to repair the ventilation. By that, no one
will die and she will save all of her patients without breaking any of the ethical
standard for being a doctor.
ANSWER:
First, I will talk to my partner about the situation and explain it to him what will be
the risks if I steal the cure. Even if it will hurt me so much, I will not risk stealing the cure
to the druggist because of the possibility of killing him. I know that my partner will
understand my decision about that, and even if it pains me, if there will be no other
options in having a cure, I will let my partner go.And also, I will spend the last days or
time together with my partner. I cannot live in this world knowing that I will have to kill
someone just to be together with my partner. We will just live a miserable and guilty life.
After that, I will report the druggist to the authority because of overpricing a cure. It is
wrong to treat a dying patient like that just to have lots of money. It is like he is the one
who killed my partner because he couldn’t give the cure even if I talked to him in a nice
way and offered him anything I can to atleast lengthen my partner’s life.