Age as a Determinant in Prioritizing in HealthCare
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic brought a dramatic change in the way people live. The idea of life as we knew it changed in an instant as everyone got forced to adapt to strict measures and guidelines to minimize the spread of the virus. Governments and institutions across the globe had to make tough decisions in light of the pandemic. Arguably, one of the most controversial and challenging issue at hand has been whether or not to consider age as a factor when prioritizing health care for patients with the Coronavirus. A spike in the number of cases of the virus has seen healthcare services and workers overburdened, hence prompting them at times to choose which life to preserve. Some feel the young should get preference over the old while others oppose the view.
Supporting Views and Critiques
Those in support of prioritizing the youth in the life-saving treatments base their arguments on the fact that young people have their whole lives ahead of them. They take a compelling angle, claiming that everyone deserves an equal chance at life. Older adults are in their concluding part of the journey of life, and while their contributions are appreciated, the youth re believed to be more productive and to have a lot more to offer. This stance overlooks the fact that an older person may have more to give in comparison to one who is yet to flourish and impact the world or has been unable to do so. This view also appeals to logic, in terms of saving resources and maximizing the number of lives saved, considering chances of survival diminish with an increase in age (Lutz 2020).
Opposing Views and Critiques
Those opposed to the view argue that prioritizing the young cases would be promoting differential treatment and licensing prejudice against the older people. Some scholars do recognize the validity of using age as a criterion when backed by data. For instance, while evaluating one’s eligibility for care, it would count to know if they are also disabled, elderly, economically disadvantaged or from a minority grouping (Lutz 2020). However, they hold the view that being young does not exactly qualify as a criterion, on its own. It argued that this perspective gives the impression that the older folks are less critical, thus generally devaluing them.
Conclusion/ Stand
Based on the above discussions, using age as a determinant in giving life-saving care, a scarce resource in a pandemic is a terrible idea.
Work Cited
Lutz, Rachel. “The Arguments For and Against Prioritizing Younger Patients with COVID-19.” ContagionLive, 28 Apr. 2020, www.contagionlive.com/news/arguments-for-against-prioritizing-younger-patients-covid-19.