Debate whether John Q’s action of taking 11 people as hostages in return for the hospital accommodating his demand was moral and ethical – vigilante or caring father.
John Q’s action of taking 11 people as hostages in return for the hospital accommodating his demand was immoral and unethical, exhibiting actions of a vigilante, yet caring father. From the incidents shown in the movie, it was apparent that the spouses were actually running out of time and immediate surgery of a compatible heart needs to be found . Yet, as revealed the health insurance coverage of John Q from his work does not apparently cover for his son’s needed heart transplant. As such, without enough financial resources and faced with dwindling time, John Q made a drastic, yet eventually successful and effective move which called the attention of Rebecca Page, the hospital’s administrator and Dr. Raymond Turner, the heart specialist and surgeon.
Actually, John Q’s actions were prompted by the directives from his wife who ordered him to do something. At the pace that he was taking in raising funds from various sources, it was evident, from his wife’s perspectives and from the manner that the health condition of their son worsens, John Q was allegedly not doing enough. Therefore, as a caring and loving father, the only thing that he thought of was to take hostage of the surgeon, including patients from the emergency room, to call the needed attention from decision-makers in the hospital, especially Rebecca Page, in including his son on the list of recipients for a heart donor.
Would you have done the same in his situation? If not, what would you have done differently?
I definitely have no capacity to do the same thing in the given situation. I would have sought other possible avenues like applying for a loan through using the house as mortgage; praying for a miracle to happen; or just accepting fate for what is destined for my son (given that I have exhausted all avenues to seek assistance). The course of action really depends on the resources which could be tapped, given the remaining time frame. In the movie, it could have been affirmed that what happened in the end could really be construed as a miracle – finding an appropriately matched donor in due time. In real life, it has always been attested that the number of patients waiting for donors has been long. Statistics revealed that “currently, there are 4,223 people awaiting heart transplants in the U.S.” . The average waiting time for the heart transplant was noted to be four (4) months . Therefore, the really is just so much that any person could do given the constraints in terms of waiting time and availability of donors who match the patients’ health requirements. Taking drastic actions such as those initiated by John Q in the movie would not ensure 100% success in real life.
Should all citizens have the right to health care, even when they do not have health insurance? Discuss a workable alternative.
I honestly believe that all citizens should have the right to health care, even when they do not have health insurance. The government is given a budget for supporting and sustaining the health needs of its citizens. As such, when citizens, especially the needy and the poor with proper identification or certification of indigency, seek health care, public health organizations should be able to provide health services for free. However, for those who could afford to pay, they should be charged accordingly.
There have been some countries which have successfully provided free health care to all citizens, like the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom, Iceland, Austria, Norway, Japan, Spain, Andorra, and France . Therefore, the successful and effective implementation of equal access to health care is possible and implementable.
Are medical insurance companies corrupt? Explain.
Medical insurance companies, just like other business entities, exist to generate profits. As such, in a health environment where patients’ health conditions could necessitate medical or surgical interventions that could cost thousands of dollars, these insurance companies are just designing policies and strategies that would minimize their risks in order to ensure sustained survival for a long time. As such, most of the insurance companies would not include in their coverages illnesses that could require expensive surgeries or interventions which could, if availed by many of their insured clients, put them into bankruptcy.
Concurrently, pre-existing chronic illnesses are usually required to be revealed and would usually be excluded from coverages since it would be expected that these would require costly maintenance and potential expensive medical interventions which are projected to be intermittently undertaken throughout the insured persons’ lives. These conditions could be considered unfair and unjust; yet, these insurance companies have to balance the risks with expected returns from the insurance plans offered to different patients with extensively varied health disorders.
Has the Hippocratic Oath become the hypocrite oath? Explain.
The Hippocratic Oath has actually not become the hypocrite oath because contemporary doctors still abide and adhere to the conditions stipulated in the oath, as follows: “to treat the ill to the best of one's ability, to preserve a patient's privacy, to teach the secrets of medicine to the next generation” . In the movie, Dr. Raymond Turner initially seemed to contradict the oath by abiding by the rule of John Q’s insurance conditions. It could be deduced that doctors and health practitioners are only following rules, policies, and regulations stipulated in the health care settings, regulatory health agencies, as well as those stipulated in the insurance policies of patients. As above noted, some of the conditions could be harsh to accept, especially when the patients’ lives are at stake. However, from the movie, it was evident that Dr. Turner still observed conditions of the oath while giving medical interventions to the patient who was rushed in the emergency would due to a gunshot wound. Further, when John Q tried to convince him to take his heart so that his son’s life could be saved, Dr. Turner first evaluated the plausibility of the proposition and eventually conceded due to the father’s persistent request to give his son the much needed heart transplant.
In sum, one honestly believes that there are still doctors who adhere to the Hippocratic Oath and to code of ethics expected from the profession. The oath still provides the ethical guidelines that direct them into behaving appropriately. Their actions are being monitored by health regulatory agencies which could revoke the license of doctors, if and when their actions and behavior violate ethical, moral, and legal standards.
References
Gift of Life Donor Program. (n.d.). Heart Transplants. Retrieved from donors1.org: http://www.donors1.org/learn2/organs/heart/
Gift of Life Donor Program. (n.d.). Understanding the Organ Transplant Waiting List. Retrieved from donors1.org: http://www.donors1.org/patient/waitinglist/
MedicineNet.com. (2017). Medical Definition of Hippocratic Oath. Retrieved from medicinenet.com: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=20909
Novicio, T. (2015, May 21). 11 Countries with Free Health Care. Retrieved from insidermonkey.com: http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/11-countries-with-free-health-care-348404/?singlepage=1
YouTube. (2001). John Q. Retrieved from youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS2NfSj_ZVY
