Allocation of medical resources in times of COVID-19 a bioethical approach

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than two million lives, leading to the collapse of health systems around the world, especially in low-income countries. As the pandemic progressed, the imbalance between the supply of and demand for medical resources created ethical dilemmas regarding how best to allocate available resources. Discussion: Peru did not have the necessary resources to deal with a pandemic like that of COVID-19, which is why its health system collapsed, showing the highest mortality rate worldwide during the first wave. Faced with the saturation of hospital services, the dilemma presented was: when, how and to whom should the few available medical resources be allocated? From a bioethical point of view, health professionals should seek to save as many lives as possible, giving priority to patients with better prognosis and those who could contribute to this aim, such as health workers. Conclusion: Identifying the ethical dilemmas that arise from the pandemic will help doctors make decisions that are close to what is considered appropriate for the group, not only of health workers, but also of patients and family members. The recommendations described here could help in making these decisions.