Scarce Resource Allocation Task

References

(Persad et al., 2009) ⇒ Govind Persad, Alan Wertheimer, and Ezekiel J Emanuel. (2009). “Principles for Allocation of Scarce Medical Interventions.” In: The Lancet Journal, 373(9661).
- QUOTE: Allocation of very scarce medical interventions such as organs and vaccines is a persistent ethical challenge. ...
  ... Allocation of scarce medical interventions is a perennial challenge. During the 1940s, an expert committee allocated — without public input — then-novel penicillin to American soldiers before civilians, using expected efficacy and speed of return to duty as criteria.⁷ During the 1960s, committees in Seattle allocated scarce dialysis machines using prognosis, current health, social worth, and dependants as criteria.⁷ How can scarce medical interventions be allocated justly? This paper identifies and evaluates eight simple principles that have been suggested.^8–12 Although some are better than others, no single principle allocates interventions justly. Rather, morally relevant simple principles must be combined into multi-principle allocation systems. We evaluate three existing systems and then recommend a new one: the complete lives system.