Who gets to live? Ethical guidance to help Hungarian healthcare officials decide

In the midst of the second wave, the Hungarian healthcare system cannot carry the weight of exponentially increasing COVID-19 infections. We have reached the point where there are more patients than capacity. Intensive care units are full, and difficult decisions must be made.

Many people die, not only of COVID-19 but also people with other diseases who would need immediate surgeries, which the staff does not have the capacity to carry out, Medical Online reports.

All intensive care units are full. There is available staff for treating approximately 2,000 patients. At the beginning of November, there were over 5,000 patients at these institutions, 378 of them on respirators, and the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing exponentially.

Who decides what to do when there are more patients in need of immediate medical attention than what the system can take? Ethical guidance is made, and triage teams are formed.

The new ethical guidance helps make necessary decisions in accordance with accepted ethical principles, taking the burden off individual doctors. The 30-page document does not override the current Code of Ethics, but it provides guidance on issues not covered by professional guidelines.

The decision cannot be based on the patient’s financial situation, age, disability, gender, race, religion, or fame, and accepting money is against the law.