HEALTH LAW AND ETHICS - Essay Example

Health Law and Ethics The health sector has various laws and ethical standards that govern its day-to-day operations. Notable is the fact that just like in any other sector, there are numerous stakeholders who share the limited resources available in this sector. In this context, potential stakeholders refer to the people who are likely to be involved in or affected by health decisions in a health facility. Such members may include payers, patients, employers, and health providers (Department of Community and Family Medicine, 2005).

Decisions relating to allocation of resources on who gets a scarce treatment or immunization, who would get a transplant, and who has access to a provider in high demand raise various conflicts among the potential stakeholders. Hence, the law and ethics must come to application in solving stakeholders’ interests. They have different interests when there are resource allocation issues. For example, the patients seek to have the employer provide a wide variety of options for health coverage and fund their health insurance.

The employers on the other hand seek maintain or lower the health cost contribution for the patients. Indeed, they are only ready to pay the patient’s most necessary health care. Furthermore, the health providers seek to provide preventive care and high quality health care that is mostly expensive and out of insurance cover. Health payers on the other hand seek to use few tests and fewest visits to obtain clear evidence and a diagnostic plan to achieve accurate treatment (Department of Community and Family Medicine, 2005).

All these interests should fall in place during resources allocation. Indeed, while deciding on who would get a transplant, I will consider the serious of the disease, the costs involved, and the resources available. As such, the most serious cases with the least cost implication should get the transplant. At the same breath, the patients who are generally health should get scarce treatment or immunization. Nevertheless, all children should get the requisite immunization free of charge where possible.

Additionally, no medication should apply to healthy persons despite their willingness to fund such treatment. Furthermore, it is ethical to accord children, patients with complicated and high incidence diseases access to a provider in high demand. Most importantly, in most cases, children patients should get the first priority while making health decisions. ReferenceDepartment of Community and Family Medicine. (2005). Who are the Stakeholders in Healthcare? Retrieved from: http://patientsafetyed.duhs.duke.

edu/module_a/introduction/stakeholders.html