Doctors' ethical dilemma: Save the young or seniors?

医生的道德难题：救年轻人还是老年人?

BENGALURU: With an increasing demand for ICU beds and ventilators, clinicians are facing an ethical dilemma over allotment of beds: Young breadwinners or senior citizens? The focus is certainly more on saving the youngsters, multiple hospital authorities told TOI on the condition of anonymity.

班加罗尔：随着ICU床位和呼吸机需求的增加，临床医生面临着分配床位的道德难题：是救需要养家糊口的年轻人还是老年人? 多家不愿透露姓名的医院对《印度时报》表示，自然是更先救年轻人。

"Age has to become a criterion for ICU admission, apart from the patient's condition. Not that we are denying treatment for the elderly patients outright, but we do feel sorry for the families of young patients suffering from severe forms of the disease," said an intensivist.

一位重症监护医生说：“除了患者的病情，不得不把年龄作为ICU的入住标准。并不是说我们完全拒绝治疗老年患者，但我们确实为患有严重疾病的年轻患者的家庭感到遗憾。”

The head of a hospital in west Bengaluru told TOI that he had never faced such an ethical dilemma in his 35-year career. "Who should get priority, given the limited resources? From a medical practitioner's perspective, we can't differentiate between the young and the old. Now, it is different. Between an ailing senior citizen whose prognosis suggests s/he may not make a recovery and a young man who has chances of survival, I would go for the latter. We do explain the situation to the families," the doctor said.

西班加罗尔一家医院的院长告诉《印度时报》，在他35年的职业生涯中，他从未面临过这样的道德困境。“在有限的资源下，应该优先救谁?从医生的角度来看，不能区别对待年轻患者和老年患者。现在，情况不同了。在一个病重的老年人和一个有生存机会的年轻人之间，我选择后者。我们会向家属解释情况，”这位医生说到。

Disease severity a criterion, not age: Doc

医生：标准是疾病严重程度，而不是年龄

“We have had a 44-year-old man on ECMO for the past three weeks and he is making subtle but gradual improvement. There was only one ECMO machine. A week ago, we had a 22-year-old woman who recently required ECMO. She died in front of us. Being helpless is adding to our stress. Each life we are losing was the one that should have been saved,” said an intensivist from a corporate hospital in Bengaluru.

“我们有一位44岁的男性患者在过去三周内接受了ECMO（体外膜肺氧合）治疗，他的情况正在逐渐好转。医院只有一台体外膜肺氧合仪。一周前，有个22岁的女性患者需要ECMO治疗，后来她死在我们面前。无助会增加我们的压力。逝去的每一条生命本该被挽救的，”班加罗尔一家企业医院的一位重症监护医生说道。

Besides age, the patient’s class matters as they get multiple calls if s/he is from an influential background.

除了年龄，病人的阶层也很重要，因为如果她/他的背景很强，医生会接到多个电话。

以下是印度时报读者的评论：译者：Jessica.Wu

Sandeep Kumar

An old renowned politician or a movie star and a young single bread earner, who will get the priority???

一个年老的政客，一个电影明星，一个需要养家糊口的年轻人，先救谁??

Dinesh kumar

In Italy,most of the Doctors over there gave priority to young people below 40 years to save them as their chances of survival was more while 80 years above old people were not even given ventilators,oxygen,etc as most of them had low chance of survival.In almost all European countries and even in America,it is being followed.

在意大利，大多数医生优先抢救40岁以下的年轻人，因为他们的活下来的机率更大，而对于80岁以上的老人，甚至没有提供呼吸机，氧气等，因为他们的生存机率大多很低。几乎所有的欧洲国家，甚至美国也是这样做的。

Sheikh

Modi never promised improvement of hospital infrastructure, schools, colleges, creation of jobs but he promised only Ram mandir. So don't ask any thing. What you sow so you reap

莫迪从未承诺改善医疗设施、学校、大学，创造就业机会，但他只承诺了修建寺庙。所以什么都不要问。种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆

Arun Royappan

Save this country from idiotic brainless north Indians ....because of their stupidness we are in this current crisis ....godi building 20000 crore new parliament house .....

愚蠢的印度北方人毁了国家，救救这个国家吧

正是因为他们的愚蠢，我们才陷入了当前的危机....

莫迪正在建造耗资2000亿卢比的新议会大厦.....

Satya Naam

Most doctors prefer patients who pay with cash.

大多数医生更喜欢用现金支付医疗费的病人。

D D

In such times, young breadwinners should be prioritized over elderly. Even elderly will agree

在这种情况下，应该优先救那些要养家糊口的年轻人，而不是老年人，老年人也会同意的

Kalmokta Banchanbali

Why Dilemma ? Do exactly what Pheku does — Dont save either of them. But Blame it on someone else ..

为什么进退两难?

都不要救，把责任推给别人。

Krishna Mn

I am senor citizens if such dilemma arrives in my case willingly give my consent to save younger one even if he is younger by days.

我是老年人，如果遇到这样的困境，我同意先救年轻人，即使他只比我小几天而已。

Kvs Sarma

that is why there is a simple rule, first come first served. don't have to complicate your and other's lives by oversmartness.

有一个简单的规则，先来后到。不要想太多，把事情复杂化。

Uday Singh

they will save none..instead steal oxygen n do black market

他们谁也不救，反而把氧气偷去黑市卖

Sumeet

It is waste to visit Hospitals.

去医院也是白费。

Vikas Shelke

so this is govt generated disease to wipe our senior citizens living on pensions and savings which could be used to fund govt projects.

这疫情是印度政府制造的，目的是消灭老年人，他们靠养老金和储蓄生活，这些可以用来资助政府项目。

Jay Boro

what a mess?!

真是一团糟

laugh it out brother

It is suffering and as doctors, we have to offer every possible help to revive them. We have no choice but to save every soul.

医生也很痛苦，我们必须尽力救治患者。我们别无选择，能救一个是一个。

kSingh

Why cant they ramp up temporary hospitals on war footings?

为什么不火速建一些临时医院呢?

Kvs Sarma

set some rules and follow them strictly. after all doctors are humans, not god's.decisions taken by humans have a tendency to go wrong half the time whichever way they decide.

制定一些规则并严格遵守，毕竟医生是人，不是神，人做的决定有一半都有可能出错。

Bonny Moraes

This choice is not given to the doctor. For a doctor a patient is a patient and it his duty to do all possible to save the patient’s life.

医生没有选择的权利。对医生来说，病人就是病人，尽一切可能挽救病人的生命是他的责任。

Vasant Saw

SAVE BOTH....

都要救。

Godfather Senior

Treat all equally

一视同仁

Sudipto Choudhury

Save the young, they are the future of India. Mind you, I am 64 years old, saying this.

救年轻人，他们是印度的未来，我64岁。