UPSC CSE Prelims 2024

Case Study: COVID-19 pandemic; You are a hospital administrator; This disease did not spare anybody irrespective of caste, creed, religion; Deficiencies in hospital beds, Oxygen cylinders, ambulances, hospital staff and crematorium; India was not prepared for the sudden onslaught of such a crisis due to limited in terms of human resource, money and other facilities; your criteria and justification; Applied Ethics

Question:

The Coronavirus disease (COVID 19) pandemic has quickly spread to various countries. As on May 8th, 2020, in India 56342 cases of corona had been reported. India with population of more than 1.35 billion had difficulty in controlling the transmission of Coronavirus among its population. Multiple strategies became necessary to handle this outbreak. The ministry of health and family welfare of India raised awareness about this outbreak and to take all necessary actions to control the spread of Covid 19. Indian Govt. implemented a 55-day lockdown throughout the country to reduce the transmission of virus. Schools and colleges had shifted to alternative mode of teaching-learning-evaluation and certification. Online mode became popular during these days. India was not prepared for the sudden onslaught of such a crisis due to limited in terms of human resource, money and other facilities needed for taking care of this situation. This disease did not spare anybody irrespective of caste, creed, religion on the one hand have and have not on the other. Deficiencies in hospital beds, Oxygen cylinders, ambulances, hospital staff and crematorium were the most crucial aspects.

You are a hospital administrator in a public hospital at the time when Coronavirus had attacked large number of people and patients were pouring into hospital day in and day out

a) What are your criteria and justification for putting your clinical and non-clinical staff to attend the patients knowing fully well that it is highly infectious disease and resources and infrastructure are limited?

b) If yours is a private hospital, whether your justification and decision would remain the same as that of a public hospital?


Answer: 

The coronavirus pandemic is the greatest challenge mankind has faced since World War II. The pandemic is much more than a health crisis, as it has socio-economic and ethical dimensions also.

Stakeholders Involved:

1. The Central Government
2. State Governments
3. Doctors and Health-workers
4. Corona patients and their families
5. Medical Equipment and Oxygen Suppliers
6. General Population
7. Public and private hospitals and their staff


a) Criteria for putting your clinical and non-clinical staff to attend to the patients

1. Firstly, duty will be given to those who volunteer for the job. Some incentives can be given to maintain their motivation. 

2. Secondly, duty will be given to young staff as they have higher immunity and lesser chances of getting infected. 

3. They can get backend support from experienced but aged staff. Experienced staff can manage critical situations with limited resources in time bound manner.

4. Only in very high demand scenario, vulnerable group will be exposed. 

5. It will be ensured that only fully vaccinated staff come in direct contact with the patients. 

6. Emotional stability can be used as an additional criterion on situational basis. 

Justification for appointing staff to attend patients

• Beneficence: A practician should act in best interest of the patient. 

• Empathy and compassion: Towards the ill and needy

• Professional Ethics: Saving life is not only the prime duty of medical professionals but also moral obligation as a human being.

• Hippocratic Oath: Administered to medical practitioners call for providing medical care to patient in all adverse conditions.

• Safety Assurance: PPP kits, vaccination, health insurance, etc. shall be provided.

• Pandemic as a novel human crisis: Such unseen situation in medical history will require exceptional contribution from medical community.

• Self-esteem: Doctors in India are considered next to God and as such they shall maintain dignity of their profession. 

• Service to mankind is service to God: Civil servants shall give highest priority public interest and welfare. 

The onus of handling the nationwide pandemic lies primarily on the government. Thereby government hospital running on public exchequer are obliged to be forerunners. 


b) If I am the administrator of a private hospital: Then also, the criterion would have almost remained the same. Medical sector believes in giving priority to others over selves. Earning profits can’t be its sole purpose. 

The basic ethos of medical profession is not affected by the nature of the organization. 

Humans shall always be served as an end, rather than means. One must be able to justify his action in his own court of conscience and in front of God if he believes in one.

Also, in case of current pandemic situation, the public health infrastructure is not sufficient enough to handle ongoing health hazard. Therefore, private hospitals along with their clinical and non-clinical staffs must contribute to deal with the situation.

Any health calamity can only be dealt by an equal and responsible participation by all the stakeholders. This is especially true in a nation like ours where people have less trust on government hospitals and major burden is on private hospitals only to provide quality services. 

Morality and substance of ethics in people is tested during tough times only. This pandemic has the potential to create devastating socio-cultural, economic and political effects that will leave deep and longstanding scars. Its impact can be minimized by following the path of Dharma.

                                                                   

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