Health Care Ethical Issues Essay

Ethical issues arises when not all values can be respected. Our care for patients should be based on sound judgement or evidence based practice. In health care there is not only one discipline that deals with the issues, there is the law, technology, policy makers, society and the system that prescribe or create certain behaviors.

Ethics is relevant to all aspects of health care delivery However, there are numerous social policy issues related to ethical challenges that can impact patients, families as well as health care providers and health care institutes. Since Canada is a multicultural country and facing increased corporatization of health care and health care research there are significant challenges associated to health care delivery. Patient, families, and health care professionals sometimes face difficult decisions about medical treatments that involve moral principles, religious beliefs or professional guidelines. For instance, human reproduction, genetic and genetic testing, organ donation and organ translation, end of life care issues, public and global health ethics, and health research are emerging and sensational ethical issues which are influenced by the structure and function of health care delivery system. These are common and everyday ethical issues in health

care system that affect all individuals involved in health care. Although these challenges have been discussed widely in the literature as isolated ethical issues in health care, no or minimal attempt has ever been made to collate and prioritize them.
My thoughts about the social political issues and ethical challenges are consistent with the chapter because ethical challenges are prevalent in health care services and is a growing.

Canadian health care system is also is affected by these issues and challenges. For example, maternal and fetal health along with reproductive rights and fetal rights present tremendous ethical difficulties in health care. Moreover, new technology and knowledge and research are changing the ways of people’s thinking about health and illness and contributes to make situation more complex. Similarly, Organ translation and organ donation along with end of life issues are more challenging the health care

system.
When I read this chapter, I am morally distressed and would like to strongly advocate for my patient’s autonomy and patient choice. Patient should be fully informed about the benefit and risk of any procedures and they should allow to make a decision about their life without any interferences. Most of the time our health care structure and social political issues are barrier to provide appropriate care to the patient. For example, if an individual with terminal ill wants to die rather suffer with pain, then how could a health professional help him/her? Although, “Physician Assisted Suicide” has been legalize in Canada there is no proper guideline or indication to perform the procedure. In this situation, are we protecting the right of the patient? Are we as a health professional providing him/her quality care and life? How can our system and we as a health professionals help patient to die with dignity? Is our system and policy equally addressing the need of every individual? These questions are unanswered because of the structure of our health care that needs urgent attention to protect the right and responsibility of individual, families and communities as well as health care professionals.
In my opinion, the policy makers and government should be more conscious about the health and illness and every individual and treat them accordingly. Cultural beliefs and values of and individual should be considered when implementing medical intervention. In addition, ethics education should be provided to health care provider, institute should implement consistent policy and procedure through the public consultation. Having stakeholders with divers value systems come together to discuss the challenges may be more effective approach to plan or restructured health care policy and system. Patient’s need and choices should be respected appropriately.
To sum up, efforts should be equally given to address every ethical challenges arise in health care system to resolve and relieve ethical dilemmas and moral distress. It would be possible through active participation of health professionals, patients, families, communities, government and policy maker in a collaborative way.