A disability campaigner has hit out at a Government document detailing how treatment could be withdrawn from frailer patients if health services become overwhelmed.
The brief, published earlier this week to advise medical workers battling Covid-19, outlines how “life-sustaining treatment” could be “withheld” or “withdrawn” from some patients.
Under the heading Prioritisation of Medication and Critical Care, the paper states: “In cases where all patients cannot be treated… it is essential that the process of differentiating between those individuals who should and should not receive a particular intervention is conducted in a consistent manner.
“Decisions will have to be made about the level of care offered eg admission to ICU, initiation of life-sustaining treatment eg ventilation, as well as withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, necessitating referral to palliative care services.
“The starting point for any rationing decision is to consider which patients are most likely to benefit from the intervention.
“Consideration of the patient’s premorbid health status, their will and preferences [if known], the presence of co-morbidities and their frailty status [independent of age] are all relevant in this context.”
Disability campaigner Tom Clonan said: “As an adult with a child whose lungs are compromised, I don’t trust Simon Harris, as the Minister for Health and the Taoiseach, as they signed off on health cut after health cut.
“And now we are on the precipice of a major crisis and we have the lowest ratio of ICU beds per head of population in the EU.
“This isn’t based on patient best interests but on lack of resources.”
John Dolan, CEO of the Disability Federation, added: “Prioritising resources during a time of crisis in a way that is fair and ethical is something that most family units have to do at some point when there is no option.”
