Justice, equality and equity in allocating healthcare resources

Abstract

The law and bioethics are often faced with difficulties in seeking and doing justice when, for example there are limited resources for attending to unlimited needs, which is a fairly common situation in healthcare. In this regard, the text discusses issues relating to the idea of justice in allocating healthcare resources, such as: Is justice the same as equality? But equality of what? What are the criteria for promoting allocation of scarce resources justly and equitably, when they are insufficient for everyone, notwithstanding the universal right to healthcare? Although this paper makes no claims to provide a definitive answer for such longstanding questions, discussion of this issue is shown to be useful as an aid for seeking better resource distribution, in the light of the reality of shortages relating to the so-called tragic choices within healthcare.