The article by Chinthapalli K mentioned that some pediatric practices in US refused to treat unvaccinated children [1]. The argument that unvaccinated children pose a risk to themselves and others in the hospital is unethical and baffling. The argument is similar to the situation where HIV patients are denied treatment just because of their HIV status. It amounts to discrimination and violating the basic health rights of the patient.
The argument that unvaccinated status among children amounts to non-confidence in physician’s advice and hence a reason for not providing treatment is also unethical and discriminatory. First of all children consent to treatment is not accepted legally and ethically and they cannot decide for themselves whether to get vaccinated or not vaccinated [3]. It depends on the decision taken by their parents. So why punish the child for the fault for which they are not responsible?
Some patients who smoke regularly have difficulty in quitting smoking due to low confidence and addiction leading to withdrawal symptoms [2]. Hence it is unethical to deny treatment to smokers. Instead doctors in addition to providing required treatment should refer these patients to tobacco cessation clinics to overcome the barriers to quit smoking.
References
1. Chinthapalli K. Choosing who to treat. BMJ. 2015;351:h5828. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h5828
2. Mohammadnezhad M, Tsourtos G, Wilson C, Ratcliffe J, Ward P. "I have never experienced any problem with my health. So far, it hasn't been harmful": older Greek-Australian smokers' views on smoking: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health. 2015;15:304.
3. Satyanarayana Rao KH. Informed consent: an ethical obligation or legal compulsion? J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2008 Jan;1(1):33-5.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
04 November 2015
Vagish Kumar L Shanbhag
Reader
Department of Oral medicine and radiology, Yenepoya Dental College and Hospital*, Yenepoya Research Centre*, Yenepoya University
Rapid Response:
Unethical reasons for denying treatment
The article by Chinthapalli K mentioned that some pediatric practices in US refused to treat unvaccinated children [1]. The argument that unvaccinated children pose a risk to themselves and others in the hospital is unethical and baffling. The argument is similar to the situation where HIV patients are denied treatment just because of their HIV status. It amounts to discrimination and violating the basic health rights of the patient.
The argument that unvaccinated status among children amounts to non-confidence in physician’s advice and hence a reason for not providing treatment is also unethical and discriminatory. First of all children consent to treatment is not accepted legally and ethically and they cannot decide for themselves whether to get vaccinated or not vaccinated [3]. It depends on the decision taken by their parents. So why punish the child for the fault for which they are not responsible?
Some patients who smoke regularly have difficulty in quitting smoking due to low confidence and addiction leading to withdrawal symptoms [2]. Hence it is unethical to deny treatment to smokers. Instead doctors in addition to providing required treatment should refer these patients to tobacco cessation clinics to overcome the barriers to quit smoking.
References
1. Chinthapalli K. Choosing who to treat. BMJ. 2015;351:h5828. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h5828
2. Mohammadnezhad M, Tsourtos G, Wilson C, Ratcliffe J, Ward P. "I have never experienced any problem with my health. So far, it hasn't been harmful": older Greek-Australian smokers' views on smoking: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health. 2015;15:304.
3. Satyanarayana Rao KH. Informed consent: an ethical obligation or legal compulsion? J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2008 Jan;1(1):33-5.
Competing interests: No competing interests