scholarly journals Fair allocation of scarce medical resources in the time of COVID-19: what do people think?

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-6
Author(s):  
Francesco Fallucchi ◽  
Marco Faravelli ◽  
Simone Quercia

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an enormous burden on health systems, and guidelines have been developed to help healthcare practitioners when resource shortage imposes the choice on who to treat. However, little is known on the public perception of these guidelines and the underlying moral principles. Here, we assess on a sample of 1033 American citizens’ moral views and agreement with proposed guidelines. We find substantial heterogeneity in citizens’ moral principles, often not in line with the guidelines recommendations. As the guidelines are likely to directly affect a considerable number of citizens, our results call for policy interventions to inform people on the ethical rationale behind physicians or triage committees decisions to avoid resentment and feelings of unfairness.

Author(s):  
Bibhabasu Das ◽  
◽  
Apurva Padhye ◽  

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)virus, has led to a substantial loss of human life and the global economy, and presents anunprecedented collapse of the public health systems worldwide. The sped-up advancement of theCOVID-19 vaccine is an important development. Data from the early trials suggest that the vaccineis safe as well as effective. However, the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among the publicdepends on various socio-demographic factors. The primary aim of the study is to get a deeperunderstanding and analysis of the public's perception, information and sentiment towards theCOVID-19 vaccine in India.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (04) ◽  
pp. 77-83
Author(s):  
Mohammed Alshakka ◽  
Majed Ahmed Al-Mansoub ◽  
Mohammed Babakri ◽  
Sana Qubati ◽  
Thamir Alshammmri ◽  
...  

This article deals with Yemen’s current pharmaceutical scenario and possible future challenges that it may face. The manuscript provides an overview of health services particularly pharmaceutical services and the critical health challenges facing the people of the country. Details included are statistical data with regard to the health of the Yemeni population and their demographic backgrounds following administrative issues, policy for the medicinal trade and production, the regulation and financing. The manuscript also deals with the government’s action about medicines, their procurement, and distribution in the public sector, and the public perception of medicines. Rational use of medicines is determined by the knowledge and attitude of the consumers. Future challenges are also anticipated. World health systems have been facing an incredible transformation to address new challenges with regard to the demographics, disease trends, the emergence and the re-emergence of diseases along with higher costs of health care delivery. This has led to a comprehensive review of health systems and how they function to serve the masses. Some health systems do not seem to adequately provide services that really matter to the people and some deteriorate, following governments’ lack of efficiency in supporting and extending the services. Other issues can also affect the ability of the health systems to deliver including health administration, healthcare financing, the lack of balance of the human resources, inaccessible and poor quality services and the impact of modifications and reform prevalent in other economic areas.


Public Voices ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyn Holley ◽  
Rebecca K Lutte

This paper briefly summarizes evidence for the influence of popular films on public perception of government and on public policy.  Two films examined through the lens of public administration, and the lessons they teach about public administration, are exposed.  One film, Ghostbusters conveys a strongly negative image, and the other, A Thousand Heroes a strongly positive message.  Only Ghostbusters was and remains popular and profitable.  Public information efforts by government and the public administration community have been limited or reactive.  The authors argue for the increased support for public information initiatives such as those of the Public Employees Roundtable (PER) and  the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA).


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-80
Author(s):  
Sarah Banet-Weiser

When the hashtag #metoo began to circulate in digital and social media, it challenged a familiar interpretation of those who are raped or sexually harassed as victims, positioning women as embodied agents. Yet, almost exactly a year after the #metoo movement shot to visible prominence, a different, though eerily similar, story began to circulate on the same multi-media platforms as #metoo: a story about white male victimhood. Powerful men in positions of privilege (almost always white) began to take up the mantle of victimhood as their own, often claiming to be victims of false accusations of sexual harassment and assault by women. Through the analysis of five public statements by highly visible, powerful men who have been accused of sexual violence, I argue that the discourse of victimhood is appropriated not by those who have historically suffered but by those in positions of patriarchal power. Almost all of the statements contain some sentiment about how the accusation (occasionally acknowledging the actual violence) ‘ruined their life’, and all of the statements analyzed here center the author, the accused white man, as the key subject in peril and the authors position themselves as truth-tellers about the incidents. These statements underscore certain shifts in the public perception of sexual violence; the very success of the #metoo movement in shifting the narrative has meant that men have had to defend themselves more explicitly in public. In order to wrestle back a hegemonic gender stability, these men take on the mantle of victimhood themselves.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002198942098111
Author(s):  
Silvia Julia Caporale-Bizzini

This article examines Canadian author Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall’s 2004 memoir Down to This: Squalor and Splendour in a Big-City Shantytown through the notions of marginalia and the ordinary in order to question dichotomic representations of homelessness. It explores how the author moves beyond binaries, interrogating the dichotomy ordinary/out of the ordinary lives by narrating his ethical encounter with the other (Butler, 2004). The text is written as a journal where Bishop-Stall describes his personal journey through homelessness; and more importantly, it gives a voice to the other down-and-out people in notorious Toronto’s Tent City. The characters’ unreliable and fragmented storytelling uncovers the lives of the faceless others. I contend that in Down to This individuals’ life stories are connected to realities which question binaries through the re/mapping of ordinary experiences and affects; they disintegrate the opposition materiality vs abstraction, or as I argue, exclusion vs inclusion (out of the ordinary/ordinary). Down to These bridges the private details of the residents’ life stories, and the public perception of the problem of homelessness, illustrating how everyday moments of precarity intersect with wider political issues. In the process, the narrative also questions the binary attitudes of exclusion (disfranchisement) and inclusion (privilege). This literary strategy gives the constellation of stories a profound illuminating vision of the human condition. I show my point by drawing on the of marginalia (Kistner 2014), and by analysing the characters’ narratives of precariousness through the notions of editing and affective assemblage (Gerlach, 2015; Hamilakis, 2017).


2021 ◽  
pp. 103985622110250
Author(s):  
Jeffrey C L Looi ◽  
Stephen Allison ◽  
Stephen R Kisely ◽  
Tarun Bastiampillai

Objective: To discuss and reflect upon the role of medical practitioners, including psychiatrists, as health advocates on behalf of patients, carers and staff. Conclusions: Health advocacy is a key professional competency of medical practitioners, and is part of the RANZCP framework for training and continuing professional development. Since advocacy is often a team activity, there is much that is gained experientially from volunteering and working with other more experienced health advocates within structurally and financially independent (of health systems and governments) representative groups (RANZCP, AMA, unions). Doctors may begin with clinically proximate advocacy for improved healthcare in health systems, across the public and private sectors. Health advocacy requires skill and courage, but can ultimately influence systemic outcomes, sway policy decisions, and improve resource allocation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 3630
Author(s):  
Muhammad Abdullah ◽  
Nazam Ali ◽  
Charitha Dias ◽  
Tiziana Campisi ◽  
Muhammad Ashraf Javid

Public transport use has drastically declined during the COVID-19 pandemic because the virus spreads through close contact with infected people and contaminated surfaces, especially in closed-environments. Evidence suggests that following the necessary safety guidelines can limit the spread of the virus, however, non-compliance to precautionary measures has been reported widely. Ignoring the precautionary measures may lead to quick transmission of the virus since public transport vehicles generally resemble closed-environments. This study explores people’s intentions to use public transport during the COVID-19 pandemic while adhering to precautionary measures. For this purpose, a total of 1516 useable responses were collected through a questionnaire survey conducted in Lahore, Pakistan. Regression models were developed to model the intentions to use public transport during the pandemic, to adhere to the precautionary measures while using public transport during the pandemic, and to use public transport while suffering from COVID-19 disease. The results of this study will help in understanding the intentions of the public transport users during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also provide insights for policymakers and public transport operators about further necessary actions to promote safe public transport use during the current and any possible future pandemics. As public transport use declined during the pandemic, policy implications for alternative mobility options such as demand-responsive-transport (DRT) are also presented. Considering the study results, a policy interventions framework is proposed to promote the safe use of various public transport modes, particularly in developing regions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cholpon Turdalieva ◽  
Medet Tiulegenov

This paper explores women’s participation in parliamentary elections in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan. Using various methods, it offers an interdisciplinary perspective on factors that affect the likelihood of women participating successfully in parliamentary elections. This study supports the general literature on the effects of gender quotas and proportional representation, but its results on other factors are mixed. The factor of financial resources is significant, though its impact has been reduced with the introduction of gender quotas, while other factors—such as social status—may not be particularly important. The public perception of a woman in politics is not the greatest obstacle to women’s representation, and a female candidate’s professional status may often be attractive to party leaders.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document