Swine Flu Relief: Should Only The Strong Survive?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 7:36:10 AM
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Rationing Medical Care?
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News 13's Flu Warning section
Swine Flu Vaccinations County-By-County
Draft of Florida's Pandemic Influenza Plan
Florida Department of Health
Reported By Stephanie Coueignoux
ORLANDO -- A proposed plan recommends in case of a severe flu pandemic, health officials focus their attention and resources on patients whose lives could be saved versus patients with incurable diseases, or who are at the end of their life.
It's a plan that may never happen, but one that has already stirred up a lot of debate.
"Welcome to the new era of medical technology,” said Marvin Newman, a professor of Legal Studies at Rollins College. “The more we develop this type of technology that prolongs life, the more we're going to have to say ‘but we can't save everybody, so who gets and who doesn't.’"
Currently, Florida health officials are mapping out a plan on how to deal with a severe flu pandemic.
But what happens if there are not enough medical supplies or resources for everyone? Who gets treated first?
The rough draft, so to speak, recommends focusing on patients who have a better chance at living or surviving. In a worst case scenario, terminally ill patients or patients who are closer to death would not get treated.
But is this right?
A number of people News 13 spoke with said the plan basically decides who lives and who dies.
Newman agrees it's not fair.
"But on the other hand, doctors are forced to play God all the time," Newman said.
In case of a shortage, another proposal is to take ventilators away from patients who most likely won't survive and give them to those who are stronger.
Newman understands the controversy of picking and choosing, but he said, at least for him, it's all about the future generations.
“As much as I'd love to continue living, but if it has to be rationed, I would give it to the child, even if I don't know that child and I'm not related to them," Newman said.
Hospital officials said it's too early to comment on the proposal since it's just a draft. The Florida Department of Health initially wanted to have a final draft of the plan by December.
However, officials are saying that probably won't happen.
Department of Health officials are being very careful about exactly what they say. While they declined to give News 13 an on-camera interview, State Surgeon General Dr. Ana Viamonte Ross issued the following statement:
The Department of Health recently provided a draft document through a public records request titled Pandemic Influenza, Triage and Scarce Resource Allocation Guidelines. This is an early draft of a planning document designed to assist medical and health care agencies statewide in responding to worse case scenario Pandemics. This should not be misconstrued as a plan for the current H1N1 flu. This draft document is a supplemental guidance to Florida’s Pandemic Influenza Plan that began in 2006 and continues to evolve. The final version will be completed after input from stakeholders and the public.
The current H1N1 Influenza situation is a mild outbreak of Influenza and would not call for implementing this draft guidance.
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