Journal
DEVELOPING WORLD BIOETHICS
Volume 23, Issue 3, Pages 269-276Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/dewb.12358
Keywords
COVID-19; health disparities; health equity; justice
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital policies aimed at reducing the risk of virus transmission have had adverse effects on underserved communities.
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, bioethical analyses often emphasized population health and societal benefit. Hospital policies frequently focused on reducing risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 by restricting visitors; requiring protective equipment; and screening staff, patients and visitors. While restrictions can be burdensome, they are often justified as essential measures to protect the whole population against a virus with high rates of transmission, morbidity and mortality. Yet communities are not monolithic, and the impacts of these restrictions affect different groups differently. An ophthalmological unit outreach program in Ethiopia serves to illustrate. Pre-operative screening policies were designed to protect as many patients as possible but had adverse impacts on underserved communities. As this case study demonstrates, creating hospital policies that truly serve the good of the society may require a more holistic review of impacts on inequitably positioned communities.
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