Crisis Patient Prioritization and the Law: the Pandemic Experience

The allocation of scarce health resources remains a persistent and critical challenge for global health systems. The Covid-19 pandemic brought this issue to the forefront on an unprecedented scale, testing even the most robust health systems of industrialised nations. Depletion of resources, particularly in intensive care units, forced daily triage decisions. Each country, facing its unique circumstances, had to devise its own solution to the sudden calamity. While universal principles applied, the book presents eleven comprehensive national reports from Europe, North and South America, and Africa. These reports are structured to facilitate a nuanced comparison of individual strategies as well as overarching systematic differences. In addition to the national perspectives, the book includes a dedicated theoretical chapter analysing the legal-ethic foundations and limits of crisis patient prioritisation.

As the urgency of the Covid-19 pandemic wanes in the public eye and among stakeholders, there is a concerning lack of willingness to extract vital lessons for future crises. Nevertheless, neglecting the insights gained from the events of 2020 and 2021 would be a grave error. The book aspires to preserve to lessons of the pandemic, offering valuable insights to those who seek better preparation for potential future crises.