What Kind of Justice Can We Expect from a Medical Doctor? Cover Image

Jakiej sprawiedliwości wolno oczekiwać od lekarza?
What Kind of Justice Can We Expect from a Medical Doctor?

Author(s): Marek Olejniczak
Subject(s): Ethics / Practical Philosophy, Health and medicine and law
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: justice; social justice; virtue; doctor; public healthcare system; medicine; ethics; J.F. Drane; E.D. Pellegrino; N. Daniels; M. Kolwitz;; K. Szewczyk

Summary/Abstract: The essential objective of the paper is to demonstrate the complexity of issues related to justice in the medical profession. The author claims that the virtue of justice as the foundation of a good doctor's moral attitude and the concept of justice in allocating medical goods are of primary importance. The most important thesis presented in the paper is that even if the so-called social justice needs to be complied with in the public healthcare system, it has nothing to do with the virtue of justice applicable to the medical profession. The idea of social justice (not equally clear to everyone) is the foundation of the public healthcare system. However, burdening doctors with the necessity to make decisions about rationing access to medical services increases neither their job satisfaction, nor the well-being of patients. Thus, joint efforts of doctors, economists, ethicists and politicians are required in this area.

  • Issue Year: 2015
  • Issue No: 44
  • Page Range: 78-88
  • Page Count: 11
  • Language: Polish