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Ethical dilemmas in paediatric intensive care in the South African public healthcare sector

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D Ballot, T Ramdin, D White, A Dhai

Abstract


The shortage of resources in the public healthcare sector in South Africa (SA) means that healthcare providers face difficult choices in terms of rationing of care. This is particularly challenging in paediatrics. This article reviews the ethical and legal issues that arise in this regard. Principlism is the ethical framework most commonly used by clinicians, but perhaps other approaches, such as the ethics of caring, and ubuntu, would be more appropriate for the SA situation.


Authors' affiliations

D Ballot, Paediatric/Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

T Ramdin, Paediatric/Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

D White, Paediatric/Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

A Dhai, Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

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Cite this article

South African Journal of Bioethics and Law 2019;12(1):44-46. DOI:10.7196/SAJBL.2019.v12i1.672

Article History

Date submitted: 2019-07-03
Date published: 2019-07-03

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