Exploring distributive justice in health care

Abstract

The allocation of resources to providers and the way in which the resources are then prioritised to specific service areasand patients remain the critical ethical decisions which determine the type of health system a community receives.Health care providers will never be given enough resources to satisfy all the demands placed upon them by acommunity that is becoming increasingly informed and demanding. This paper discusses the matter of justice as itrelates to the distribution of health resources. It translates the theoretical constructs of distribution into a practicalsituation that arose at The Geelong Hospital. It is important to emphasise that the aim of giving the example is notnecessarily to provide the right answer but rather to assist in determining what ought to be the questions.