Those who are medical doctors are the very ones who inform us as to how healthy or unhealthy our body actually is, while also typically providing us with options to deal with what we have to deal with, of which, most patients of doctors assume that the information that they are receiving from their physician has been conveyed to them in an honest, transparent, and open manner. The problem, though, when it comes to our health, is that when a given community is suffering a health crisis, from something such as COVID-19 or in dangerous war zones or other areas in which resources, time, and options are severely reduced is that physicians, for better or for worse, are going to have to make decisions that definitely affect as to who lives, or has a better chance of living, as compared to those that have essentially been left behind. This thus indicates that as it presently stands, there are those times when physicians and the decisions that they make, are going to be the difference between life and death, which signifies that somewhere along the line, there needs to be not only an independent agency that supervises all this but also, ultimately, there needs to be accountability -- unless American citizens believe that doctors and doctors alone, should make those decisions, based upon the physician’s perception as to the “utilitarian value” of a patient or dealing with such from the perspective of the number of years saved or some other factor(s).
When it comes to physicians it has to be recognized that those who are in ill health, are dependent upon those physicians making decisions that are in their best interests, but when that is compromised by the fact that equipment is in short supply, or medicine, or myriad other factors, then what is occurring is that somebody or some agency has to make a decision as who gets or does not get the necessary medicine or aid, which is something that should be as transparent as possible to the public, at large. Additionally, there needs to be some monitoring agency that has no profit motive, that is truly independent, to determine whether decisions being made are in accordance with what we owe one another, in a society, of people, all deserving to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. So too, there needs to be an open debate as to how the decisions that are made, are arrived at, so as to understand better as to whether or not, such is reasonable and in accordance with societal norms.
So then, when it comes to COVID-19, there needs to be an inquiry, because the crisis has passed, as to the decisions made at hospitals by physicians or the administration, as to who did or did not get priority when it came to necessary treatment from those suffering the debilitating effects of COVID-19, so that this government can ascertain as to whether or not what they have currently in place is considered to be, for instance, haphazard, good, arbitrary, or whatever, because it could be said that to leave the decision as to who is prioritized or not in the sole hands of physicians or of an agency that answers to nobody, is probably not going to be the best decision that could or should be made, especially for those that are our most vulnerable and deserving of fair consideration.